Klopp opens up on Guardiola rivalry: 'Pep is so much better'

Tom Weber

Updated: 1 Nov 2024 13:02 GMT
4 min read

Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he is 'uncomfortable' being compared to Pep Guardiola because the Manchester City boss is 'so much better than the rest.'

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The former Liverpool manager appeared on Toni Kroos' podcast Einfach mal Luppen earlier this week to discuss his controversial decision to join Red Bull and his illustrious career.

In addition to addressing the repeated heartbreak suffered at the hands of Kroos' Real Madrid, Klopp also spoke about his iconic duels with Pep Guardiola, which became a defining feature of the Premier League in the late 2010s and early 2020s.

For years, Liverpool and Man City battled it out for Premier League glory and it was the German who prevented Guardiola from winning his third consecutive crown in 2019/20. Or, looking at it from a different perspective, it was Pep who prevented Klopp from winning more than one domestic top-flight championship during his time in England.

Klopp 'uncomfortable' with Guardiola comparisons

In the Champions League, Liverpool got the better of Man City more often than not, so Klopp eventually became known as Guardiola's kryptonite. Pep knew it, too, with the City boss paying a tearful tribute to his adversary after winning the Premier League last season.

"He brought me to another level as a manager and we respect each other incredibly," Guardiola said of Klopp. "He has been a huge competition in my life. In many moments, I didn’t find a way to finish them like I can with other teams."

Speaking on Kroos' podcast, Klopp has now admitted that he is 'uncomfortable' with comparisons to Pep and revealed how proud he is that his teams managed to cause the 53-year-old sleepless nights.

"There was a time when Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp were mentioned in one sentence," he began. "To be honest, I think that Pep is so much better than the rest that this was a little bit uncomfortable for me.

"We beat him occasionally and developed our teams in a completely different way. But I think there were huge differences. And he also won a whole lot more. This doesn't sound great but I lost more Champions League finals [three] than I won!

"I loved playing against Pep and City. You didn't know exactly what they would be doing because Pep evolved. Though he didn't often change things up massively during a season, every two years you would notice that he had a new idea and you could prepare for it. But it was on such a high level."

"But you knew how to hurt him with your way of playing," Kroos interjected. "Yes," Klopp responded, "I think we were actually the team he least enjoyed playing against." "Clearly also in terms of results," Kroos said.

"Yes, but also during games," Klopp continued. "We always had our phases. Last [season], the match at home against City was probably the best game I ever coached. I've never seen City struggle that much, and I was very happy that we were the ones to make them struggle like that. That was very cool.

"And it was after going 1-0 down, too," Kroos replied. "That was very impressive, there are few things more annoying than City with a lead." John Stones had opened the scoring off a corner after 23 minutes before Alexis McAllister equalised with a 50th-minute penalty.

"It was a stupid corner routine that makes you look like an idiot," Klopp joked. "The only 11 people in the stadium who didn't know what was going on were the ones wearing red kits." The game was the last dance of Klopp and Pep, finishing 1-1.