Opinion: Creaking duopoly of Liverpool and Manchester City gives hope to the rest

So, what did we learn from a clash between the two most dominant sides in English football over the past few seasons?

That the handball rule is a mess and VAR is doing more harm than good when it comes to certain scenarios? That a lot of players are already running on empty? Well, that’s a given on both counts. But let’s leave that for the game’s rule-makers to shift uncomfortably over.

What we could be seeing is the creaking of a duopoly that gives the rest of the Premier League hope of making a race of it. Neither Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp’s men have that aura of previous campaigns where they ruthlessly demolished all before them. That could be down to a variety of factors as well as the ruthless post-pandemic schedule that a growing number of managers are beginning to voice major concern over.

In terms of title statements, none were really made at the Etihad Stadium. City probably needed one, but failed to deliver. Liverpool will be the happier of the two and once again came through a tricky Virgil van Dijk-less match with reasons to be positive from a defensive perspective. It’s clear the champions will once again be there or thereabouts, but it’s going to be far from the procession of last season when only the pandemic threatened their charge to a first title in 30 years.

Interestingly, it is almost a year to the day that Liverpool moved eight points clear at the top with a 3-1 thumping of City at Anfield. Well, if that was a sign that the Merseysiders were set to sprint clear, then this 1-1 draw at City and the context of the current table, suggests this is going to be a much more interesting ride for the neutral.

Statistics can be skewed to suit your argument, but if you contrast 2019-20 with now, it’s evident Liverpool will have more of a fight on their hands. The Reds have already dropped seven points this term, but took a massive 30 matches to cough up the same number last season.

Throw in the loss of an integral figure like Van Dijk and continuing injury issues within their defensive ranks, and rival clubs will sense there is an opportunity to close the chasm that had opened up between themselves and the summit. Liverpool are more vulnerable and will drop more points as the league develops, but will rightly remain favourites with most observers.

As for City, they finally have a burgeoning central defensive partnership between Ruben Dias and Aymeric Laporte, but lack the freescoring mojo of old, particularly without the injury-prone Sergio Aguero. Indeed, the 1-1 draw with Liverpool means they have gone five Premier League matches without scoring more than one goal for the first time in 11 years.

There have also been a few murmurs in the media that City may actually benefit from a new voice at the helm. That’s incredible given the stature of Guardiola and what he has achieved as a coach, but they have yet to ignite once again. Last season, they were way off the heights they hit during the previous two title-winning campaigns and they currently sit with just 12 points from seven top-flight outings. That’s their poorest tally at this stage since 2008 and the lowest Guardiola has accumulated in the 11 other seasons he has overseen as a coach at the highest level.

It won’t have gone unnoticed by City supporters, who will be disappointed that their team haven’t lived up to the pre-season hype that saw many tipping them to provide a big response to losing their title. Instead, this draw with Liverpool leaves more questions than answers in terms of whether they can recapture the verve of old.

It is, of course, music to the ears of rival coaches and fans. Leicester and Tottenham appear to be the sides benefitting from what has been a strange, old start to the new season, but Chelsea and the likes of Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United will also feel they can force their way into the mix if they can put a run together.

It's hard to predict what lies ahead, but that's what makes the current state of play so intriguing. Liverpool and City still have the pedigree and the know-how when it comes to lifting trophies, but for the first time in a while neither are running away with it - and we could yet see the most fascinating title race in years as a result.