Jürgen Klopp says he will not miss his rivalry with Pep Guardiola and is taking a look ahead to the day when they are able to have a drink in combination. The duo pass head-to-head competitively for the twenty sixth time on Sunday when Manchester City consult with Anfield with Klopp once more getting ready to stand the person he describes as “the best manager in the world”.
The German and Spaniard have coached groups towards every different for greater than 9 years, since Borussia Dortmund defeated Bayern Munich within the 2013 German Super Cup. Klopp has been victorious on 11 events to Guardiola’s 9 because the mutual recognize has grown between the 2.
Klopp mentioned: “He has told me when we are not in charge of any club any more we will sit together and have a glass of wine, even though I am not a big wine drinker.
“I am not [Roger] Federer and Pep is not [Rafael] Nadal but they compete on the highest level and are [still] best friends. Pep and I are not best friends because we don’t know each other, but I respect him a lot and I know he respects what we are doing as well, so that’s fine.”
Despite the consistent battle for trophies and coffee touchline contretemps, the 2 have shaped a mutual figuring out. “You don’t need to be disrespectful just because you are rivals,” Klopp mentioned.
“Around the games I would say we have a good relationship without meeting, without talking, but it is respectful and during the games we are both competitors but so far we did really well in cutting that out [any disrespect] from all the stuff so honestly if the situation is like it is, I have no problem with that.”
Liverpool are 12 issues adrift of the aspect they completed 2d to final season going into the weekend’s assembly, which means every other identify struggle between the 2 is not likely. It is Guardiola’s ultimate yr together with his contract completing in the summertime.
Asked if he would love Guardiola to hold on subsequent season, Klopp mentioned, jokingly: “I would prefer Pep to be doing a sabbatical for four years. He’s the best manager in the world and he is proving that all the time, every day, it’s special what they are doing, it’s really special and I respect that.”
Guardiola, in the meantime, believes Liverpool’s lowly league place manner little or no. “Two months ago, three months ago, Liverpool was fighting for an unprecedented situation in English football, fighting for four titles,” he mentioned. “They won two, lost one by one point and, in the [Champions League] final, they had more shots on target, more chances, more everything than the opponent and they lost.
“For just two little details they could not achieve something that no English team had done. This is the same team with the same manager.”