Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp and Man City manager Pep Guardiola have both been given the cold shoulder as L’Equipe have named Zinedine Zidane best manager in the world ahead of the other two more experienced managers.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp effectively, and impressively, ended the Reds’ 30-year wait to be crowned champions of England, having also lifted the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and European Super Cup in the past year, while Pep Guardiola has enjoyed unbridled success with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Man City.
However that obviously didn’t seem to be enough for L‘Equipe with the French newspaper playing down Klopp’s record of winning just one of his three Champions League finals compared to Zidane’s continental record as reason to opt for Real Madrid and the France legend after he guided the Spanish giants to the La Liga title this season.
Klopp and Guardiola were ranked second and third respectively by the French newspaper, which paid its dues to the German’s success and ‘charisma’ in bringing Liverpool their first league title in 30 years, describing him as the ‘fashionable man’ and ‘favourite of many’.
Meanwhile, of Zidane and Guardiola, who face off in the Champions League round-of-16 this month, they wrote:
“He (Zidane) is a coach who has experienced only one club, and quite rarely defeat.
“A coach who did what none of his predecessors did, win three Champions Leagues in a row (2016, 2017, 2018).
“Who was able to return to the footsteps of his own glory and question everything to become a new Spanish champions with Real Madrid last month.
“Guardiola has something else, his dogma, his permanent research, the virtuosity of his collective game, dizzying constructions, his consistency (198 points in two seasons from 2017 to 2019).
“[B]ut he does not have everything, and chooses his central defenders as his attackers or midfielders.”