Jurgen Klopp praised Manchester City's Pep Guardiola as the top manager during his lifetime while getting ready to face City with his Liverpool team.
City have been champions for five out of the last six Premier League seasons, but Liverpool has been their main competition, taking the top spot in 2020.
Both teams are currently battling it out at the top of the table, with Liverpool leading by one point before their match at Anfield on Sunday.
Klopp mentioned that Guardiola, who is aiming for the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup treble for the second year in a row, has been exceptional in many ways.
“I have first-hand experience in my role and when I encounter excellence, I recognize it. Pep has definitely shown excellence in the many achievements with his teams,” stated Klopp when speaking to reporters on Friday.
“I can't assess the managers of the past, but in my lifetime, he's the outstanding manager, no doubt about it.”
Klopp has a winning record against Guardiola, with 12 wins out of 29 meetings.
“Right now, I have a positive record against Pep,” he admitted. “Honestly, I have no idea how that happened, but it's all good.
“I also know that I'm pretty good at what I do. I don't want to sound like someone who's just happy to be here, but you're asking me about the best, and for me, he is the best.”
Liverpool has a remarkable record against City at their home ground, as the visitors have only won once at Anfield since 2003 – and that was during the 2021 coronavirus pandemic with empty stands.
Liverpool vs Manchester City…is it the decider for the title?
Klopp said that playing at home would be a “huge, huge” factor, although he noted that it was too early to call the match a title decider.
He was also asked about comments from defender Trent Alexander-Arnold, who stated in an interview this week that trophies hold more significance for Liverpool than for Abu Dhabi-backed City.
“He was born in Liverpool… he played through all the youth teams,” said the Liverpool boss. “What would you think in that situation?
“One of our slogans which I love is ‘This means more’ and it means more to us. We have no clue exactly 100 per cent what it means to other people.
“It’s just how he feels, how we feel and I’ve absolutely no problem with that.”
In January, Liverpool announced that Klopp would step down at the end of the season.
The club revealed in a brief statement on X that Klopp informed the club owners about his decision to depart.
AFP
