Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dismisses any notion of a rivalry with Pep Guardiola, instead praising the Manchester City boss as ‘the top’ in his field.

Jurgen Klopp, the esteemed manager of Liverpool, has expressed his admiration for Pep Guardiola ahead of the highly-anticipated Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City. Currently sitting at the top of the table with 63 points, Liverpool face fierce competition from City, who are just one point behind.

This encounter is made even more significant as it may be the last time Klopp and Guardiola face off after 29 meetings. Klopp, who will be departing Liverpool at the end of the season, holds a superior head-to-head record against Guardiola with 11 wins and 10 losses.

Reflecting on this, Klopp humbly stated, “I just got told I have a positive record against Pep.. I have no clue how that happened to be honest. It made me a better manager trying to find solutions. I know I’m quite good at what I’m doing as well, I don’t want to sound like, ‘Oh my God, I’m just happy to be here’, but you ask me about the best: he’s the best. Bam.”

Acknowledging Guardiola’s exceptional managerial skills, Klopp added, “Pep is the best manager in the world. I have a really good life being not even close to that. I don’t know how could I judge managers from the past but in my lifetime he’s the outstanding manager. I see excellence when I face it and Pep is definitely that.”

Despite the intense competition between Liverpool and City in recent seasons, Klopp dismissed the notion of a rivalry between himself and Guardiola. He stated, “I don’t feel it is a rivalry, I understand you call it that. We are both pretty competitive and we both want to win games and we both are blessed with having really good players in our teams, but it is not a rivalry.”

Guardiola reciprocated the praise, commending Klopp ahead of Sunday’s match. However, he dismissed the idea that his job would become easier once Klopp departs the Premier League. Guardiola remarked, “I would like to know, but I don’t think so. Liverpool have always been Liverpool and the contenders are already there. Arsenal is already there. Last season his (Mikel Arteta’s) team was the biggest rival, not Liverpool.”

Looking ahead to the future, Guardiola acknowledged the potential improvement of other teams such as Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Newcastle. However, he emphasized that he does not possess the ability to predict what will happen in the next season.

In conclusion, the upcoming clash between Liverpool and Manchester City promises to be a thrilling encounter between two exceptional managers, Klopp and Guardiola, who hold each other in high regard.