Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp – regardless of whether it’s truth, hype or tongue-in-cheek psycho mumbo-jumbo – claims unequivocally that his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola is the ‘best manager’ in the world.
The two managers will face off in a eponymous title clash on Sunday, even though it’s not a final, when Guardiola’s Sky Blues welcome Klopp’s Reds to the Etihad Stadium, with the latter being just a point behind City, having gallantly chased them down with 10 impressive Premier League wins in a row since January 16.
Speaking the Liverpool’s website, Klopp said: “I respect a lot what they (City) do, it’s an insane football team. And, for me, the world’s best manager.
“So, that’s a combination which makes it quite tricky. But, the good news, they are human beings as well.
“If I would be a different person I would be, probably, a little bit depressed about the fact that Pep Guardiola is constantly coaching these kind of teams.
“Maybe in (Borussia) Dortmund we could’ve won more titles if Pep wouldn’t have been at Bayern (Munich).
“Now, it is pretty much the same, imagine if he would not be here, we probably could’ve won at least one more league title. But I am not like this, thank God. So, I am completely happy with our situation.”
The two masters of the English football universe head into Sunday’s game having picked up vital Champions League quarter-final first-leg wins this week. Liverpool won 3-1 at Benfica, while City beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 at home.
Both sides will also lock horns on April 16, when they both head to Wembley for their FA Cup semi-final.