October 01, (THEWILL) –Â Ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Liverpool on Sunday, Pep Guardiola has said his rivalry with Jurgen Klopp has strengthened him as a manager
City go into the game one point behind the table-topping Reds, who thrashed Porto 5-1 in their most recent outing. Meanwhile, the Citizens were defeated 2-1 by Paris Saint-Germain, with Lionel Messi returning to torment his former Barcelona manager with his first goal for Les Parisiens.
Guardiola praised the Liverpool manager with whom he has a healthy rivalry, having sparred with him in the Bundesliga.
He said: “Since I arrived here – maybe not the first year – Liverpool were always there. Jurgen Klopp’s teams helped me to be a better manager. He put me at another level, to think about it, to prove myself, to be a better manager. That is the reason why I am still in this business.
“The last four years, all the time, we were both there. It’s the biggest compliment that both clubs were there. But in the Premier League there are not just one or two, there are many teams who can fight for the league.”
City overcame Liverpool 4-1 in February last season after a 1-1 draw at Anfield. The results levelled up Guardiola and Klopp’s head-to-head record at nine wins each.
Guardiola added: “This is a really special game every year. You have to be your best version, and only then, you have a chance. We have to play a proper football game to have a chance but it’s Anfield. We are really looking forward to it.
There is nothing but mutual respect as Jurgen Klopp spoke of his opponents ahead of their encounter on Sunday. “They [City] are probably the best team in Europe at the moment,” Klopp admitted. “Last weekend they played Chelsea and everyone was talking about how good they [Chelsea] are, which they are, but City were clearly better that day.
“We have to win the game and score goals, but we have to defend at the absolute highest level to stay in the game and make sure the goals we score make the difference.”
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
