Jurgen Klopp paid glowing tribute to the Man City pair ahead of their final meeting, calling him the best manager he had ever seen.
The pair have shared many memorable battles over the past decade, first in the Bundesliga and then in the Premier League vanguard, and face a final clash for the top spot at Anfield.
With Jurgen Klopp leaving Merseyside at the end of the season, only the possibility of a meeting in the later stages of the FA Cup could now add another chapter and leave the Germans reflecting on their long struggle for supremacy.
While Liverpool go into the game with a slim one-point lead and Jurgen Klopp boasting a marginally better head-to-head record in 29 games together with 12 wins to 11, the former FC Barcelona man is happily positioned as unrivaled in the modern game. .
“Pep is the best manager in the world. I have a really good life if I’m not even close to it,” he said.
“I don’t know how I can judge managers from the past, but in my lifetime he is an excellent manager. Faced with it, I see perfection and Pep is definitely that.
“I was never frustrated, I knew about 3,000 footballers who were better than me and I still loved the game; the others who were better than me I did not know.
“I’ve just been told I have a positive record against Pep… I have no idea how it happened to be honest.
“It made me a better manager in finding solutions. I know I’m also pretty good at what I do, I don’t want to sound like, ‘Oh my God, I’m just glad to be here’, but you’re asking me about the best: he’s the best. Bam.”
While Jurgen Klopp was lavish in his praise of Pep Guardiola, he pushed back against any negative characterization of the pair’s relationship, insisting they share more similarities than differences.
“I don’t feel it’s a rivalry, but I understand why you call it that,” he said.
“There’s no rivalry. We’re both really competitive, we both want to win football games and we’re both blessed with really good players in our teams.
“If we meet in the future, it will be full of respect. We didn’t have the chance to meet more often, but we should have something to talk about. Definitely.
“On Sunday it’s not about having the opportunity (to beat him) for the last time – it’s not certain anyway, maybe we could meet again in the FA Cup.” it’s a big game. There have always been city games, probably always will be.”
Klopp dismissed the notion that the game was effectively a title decider, with 10 games remaining and Arsenal also firmly in the trophy hunt, but could not hide its importance.
“I don’t know who’s playing at the weekend in other leagues but it’s probably the game of the weekend and to be a part of that is huge.”
“A decisive race for the title? I don’t know who thought of it. It’s really early, we could go through all possible scenarios.
“Whatever the outcome, I don’t think anyone should be opening champagne bottles.”
Liverpool are a major doubt for defender Ibrahim Konat after he was injured in the second half of Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win at Sparta Prague, meaning Jarell Quansah could make the biggest start of his career alongside Virgil van Dijk.
Klopp could also welcome Mohammed Salah back into his starting XI, with the Egyptian forward making a timely return from the bench in midweek.
Leave a comment