Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was overwhelmed with emotions as he bid farewell to his biggest Premier League rival Jurgen Klopp.
Speaking in a post-match press conference after guiding City to their seventh Premier League victory, Guardiola said in an emotional and subdued tone he will miss Jurgen Klopp.
“I will miss him a lot. Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manager.”
Arguably, Jurgen Klopp has been Pep Guardiola’s biggest domestic rival in the Premier League. The healthy rivalry has seen the two managers build domestic giants out of their respective clubs.
In the past seven seasons, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are the only club that have interrupted Manchester City’s dominance of the Premier League under Pep Guardiola.
They beat City to the Premier League title race in the 2019/20 season and lost by a slinker the next season. The pair have met 17 times in the Premier League, with Pep Guardiola winning 6 times, Klopp winning 4 times, and 7 ending in a draw.
Overall, Jurgen Klopp is one win better than Guardiola in their 27 meetings. The German has won 10 of the 27 meetings while Pep Guardiola has won 9, with 8 ending in a draw.
Despite the intense rivalry between the two managers, they have great respect for each other. Speaking on his final press conference as Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp had a glowing review of Guardiola, describing him as the best manager in the world.
“Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world with or without 115 charges. Put another manager there, he will not win the Premier League four times in a row,” he said.
In the heart of the nostalgic Premier League exit by Klopp is his epic rivalry with Guardiola which lit the game and excites fans. Talks of who will close up on Pep Guardiola is already renting the air among Premier League enthusiasts.
Guardiola jokingly admitted he is happy and will sleep well since one of his biggest rivals – Klopp – is leaving.
