Klopp: Pep’s the best, but we’re up there
Jurgen Klopp wants to beat the man he says is the best manager in the world and his Manchester City side containing one of the best players in the world.
Klopp is quick to lavish today’s opposite number, Pep Guardiola, as the standard bearer for all of today’s managers.
That is despite the German’s impressive record against him in which he has claimed seven wins and two draws in the 14 meetings between their respective teams.
That includes three victories out of four last season, including both home and away in the Champions League quarter-final.
But while the Liverpool manager may have the upper hand in the individual matches, Guardiola is the one with most of the silverware.
The Reds finished 25 points behind Champions City last season, but no one expects the gap to be as big this time around.
They are currently neck-and-neck after seven matches, with City’s superior goal difference giving them a narrow advantage.
Klopp knows City are the team to beat again for the title, so it’s up to Liverpool to make a statement of their own.
But he wants a fair fight, and he would welcome the speedy return from injury of City’s Kevin De Bruyne.
The Belgian has been out with a knee injury since the opening game of the season but he is in contention for a surprise return.
“Pep is the best manager in the world, there is no doubt about that,” he says. “No doubt about that at all.
“People say he has always had better teams than I had, but I would not even compare myself with him.
“I watch his teams playing and I know that is really exceptional. I see what he did in different teams. “Yes, he had better and more experienced teams like Bayern Munich and Barcelona but we don’t need to talk about that.
“What Pep has been doing since he started his career as a manager, I never heard of something similar.
“People in Liverpool would say differently about Bill Shankly or Bob Paisley but it is hard to compare eras as times are different.
“But still doing the right things consistently is a mark of real quality.
“People ask me what my secret is against Pep Guardiola, but there is no secret. We want to fight them and have battles with them.”