03 March 2024 , 05:00
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To many, Pep Guardiola is the greatest manager of all time.
Therefore, when the Manchester City boss discusses his toughest rival, it is quite an honour to whoever he hands the title to. Guardiola has certainly had his fair share of elite counterparts in the opposite technical area, his battles with then-Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho while at the helm of Barcelona are ones that will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it.
Then there is Guardiola's battles with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool in what is a rivalry that has defined the modern Premier League era. It may come as a shock, especially to Mourinho's biggest admirers, that Guardiola has given Klopp the nod when it comes to his most difficult opponent.
Guardiola has won major honours everywhere he has been, from La Liga to the Premier League with the Bundesliga in between. But not even he could stop that Liverpool side of 2019/20, who cruised to a first league title in three decades under the guidance of Klopp.
Speaking in the aftermath of the Reds triumph four years ago, Guardiola paid tribute to Klopp and admitted he's the best boss he's ever come up against. The City manager told DAZN: "The toughest opponent I've ever faced in my career is this Liverpool from last year and this one. If you let yourself be dominated, they lock you in the area and you can't escape.
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"When you dominate them, they run into space like no one else. They are very fast going backwards. They are very strong strategically. Their players have great mental strength. [Klopp] is the rival who has made me think about how to beat him the most."
Guardiola did go on to acknowledge those days vying for Spain's biggest honours against Mourinho's Los Blancos outfit, adding: "I have always said that Real Madrid are a very strong team in my career, they helped me to become a better coach with tough matches and competitions with Jose Mourinho, [Manuel] Pellegrini and all the coaches they had.
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Pep Guardiola identified Jurgen Klopp as his toughst opponent"If you ask me which has been the most difficult rival for me to face, it has been Liverpool. The first years when I arrived in England, Liverpool were a bit weaker than now and Real Madrid were stronger. Now, this Liverpool are the hardest I have come across in my coaching career."
Revisiting those comments four years on, in the wake of Klopp's recent Carabao Cup triumph, it makes for interesting reading. It is a testament to the German's genius that nearly half a decade later, it is still his Liverpool side battling it out with Guardiola's City for the title (though Mikel Arteta's Arsenal are emerging as the latest challenger).
It is also interesting to note the contrasting fortunes Klopp and Mourinho have had since Guardiola's assessment. Klopp has won one FA Cup, two League Cups and reached the final of a Champions League. Mourinho, meanwhile, has just a Europa Conference League to show for his efforts in that same timeframe and is currently out of a job after being sacked in January.
Klopp too will soon be out of work, though that was his call after the 56-year-old announced he will leave his post as Liverpool manager come the end of the current campaign. It will end a nine-year reign at Anfield, and might just make Guardiola's life a lot easier in the process.
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