Liverpool manager has lauded and his counterpart Pep Guardiola ahead of a pair of huge fixtures between the two sides.
The Reds will take on City in the Premier League at the Etihad this weekend as they attempt to overturn a one point deficit with eight matches remaining, before they contest the semi-final of the at Wembley the following Saturday.
Both teams have enjoyed excellent seasons to this point, and could make history if they can continue their strong form throughout the final few weeks of the campaign. Liverpool have already won the Carabao Cup and could achieve an unprecedented quadruple if they can also win the Premier League, UEFA and FA Cup, while Guardiola’s men are still in contention for a treble of the latter three trophies.
Asked about how difficult the two matches against City will be, Klopp offered an insight into his thoughts about Guardiola, who also managed Bayern Munich while Klopp was in charge at Borussia Dortmund.
‘If I would be a different person I would be, probably, a little bit depressed about the fact that is constantly coaching these kind of teams,’ Klopp told liverpoolfc.com. ‘Maybe in Dortmund we could’ve won more titles if Pep wouldn’t have been at Bayern. 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.
On City themselves, Klopp spoke of his admiration for their style of play, while adding that he believes Guardiola is a cut above the rest as a coach.
‘I respect a lot what they do, it’s an insane football team’ the German said. ‘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.’
‘I couldn’t respect it more what they are doing. I like watching them. I cannot say I love a lot of opponents, or competitors, but I really like watching City. So, always when we play them, the analysis is a mix of serious work and real joy… it’s fantastic football.’
‘They set it up in a special way,’ Klopp added. ‘They make it really difficult. They make the pitch big in moments. They make the pitch small in the right moments. They have sensational individuals and all these kinds of things. That’s the truth. I cannot hide that. But the good thing is we are not too bad as well. So that helps, obviously, to keep us in a good distance at least.’
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