Big bosses all set for showdown
London, April 3: Jurgen Klopp has no qualms about saluting Pep Guardiola’s ability to create “extraordinary” teams, but the Liverpool boss is convinced he can bridge the class divide when Manchester City visit Anfield for their Champions League showdown.
Having first gone head to head with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, the friendly rivalry between Klopp and Guardiola has its biggest stage yet as Liverpool face City in the Champions League quarterfinal first leg on Wednesday.
Two of Europe’s heavyweight managers, Klopp and Guardiola look destined to compete for the sport’s biggest prizes for years to come. But there is strong mutual admiration between the, with Klopp unstinting in his praise for Guardiola’s ability to get his players to give life to his purist principles.
“His teams are always excellently positioned. He always has great teams which make excellent decisions,” Klopp told UEFA.com recently.
Likewise, Guardiola is an admirer of Klopp’s commitment to an entertaining style of play.
Despite their ability to thrill the neutral, Klopp and Guardiola had vastly different paths to Wednesday’s seismic encounter.
Klopp’s journeyman playing career took in stops at unglamourous outposts including RotWeiss Frankfurt and Mainz, while Guardiola played for over a decade in the rarified air of Barcelona, where the local boy made good became a Catalan icon.
Although Klopp twice won the Bundesliga title with Dortmund, the 50year-old has yet to secure the first silverware at Liverpool.
In contrast, Guardiola has amassed 22 trophies with Barcelona, Bayern and City, including two Champions League crowns and six domestic league titles.