Jürgen Klopp has praised his eternal rival in the highest tones before what could be his last duel with Pep Guardiola.
“I’m bad at evaluating coaches from the past. But if I just look at my life, he is the outstanding manager of this time. I know that I’m good too. But for me he’s the best,” said the FC coach Liverpool on Friday over their Manchester City counterparts.
Klopp will meet Guardiola on Sunday in the top game of the English Premier League (4:45 p.m./Sky), both of whom met in 2013 as coaches of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich. “I have a positive record against Pep. I have no idea how that happened,” said Klopp, considering twelve wins compared to “only” eleven for the Spaniard.
If league leaders Liverpool and pursuers City are not drawn against each other in the FA Cup, the 30th duel will be the last for the time being, as Klopp is retiring at the end of the season. “Pep has won so many titles. But when you meet him, it seems like he hasn’t won anything yet. He still has that greed, it’s extraordinary. I know this because I do the same job. I recognize excellence when I see them,” said Klopp.
When it comes to trophies, Guardiola usually had the better end for himself. Even when Liverpool scored an impressive 97 points and only suffered one defeat in the 2018/19 season, City was one point better. “But I was never frustrated by that. There were around 3,000 footballers better than me – and I still love the game,” said Klopp.
Guardiola, however, expressed himself more defensively in his press conference held at the same time. “I don’t think it’s the last duel, we can still play against each other in the FA Cup. It’s always been a pleasure so far and it will be on Sunday too,” he said. But one thing is certain: the game at Anfield Road will be “a really, really, really important, important, important game.”