Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp described his Spanish counterpart, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, as “the best coach in his life” on the eve of the fiery confrontation that brings them together today in the English Premier League.
City won the Premier League title in 5 of the last 6 seasons, but the Reds were its most prominent competitor throughout the past decade, snatching the title from them in 2020.
There is a fierce struggle between the two sides for the league title this season, as Liverpool leads the overall standings by just one point over City before today’s match at Anfield.
Klopp (56 years old) said that Guardiola, whose team is seeking to win the second treble in a row: the Champions League, the Premier League and the FA Cup, was “amazing in many aspects.”
Klopp added to reporters on Friday, “I know that. I do the same job, so I see creativity when I face him, and Pep certainly is like that. He has shown that in different ways in the past years with his teams.”
Klopp, who will leave the Reds at the end of the season, has a remarkable record of victories against Guardiola, having beaten him 12 times to 11 in 29 meetings between them.
“At this moment I have a positive record against Pep. I have no idea how this happened, honestly, but it’s good,” he said.
For his part, Guardiola said in his press conference that he is looking forward to the confrontation that may be the last with Klopp, despite the possibility that they will yet face each other in the Federation Cup.
“It has always been a pleasure for me, and today will be the same, but we will try to win the game,” the City coach said.
“The way his team plays football, you always learn from it,” he added.
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