Whether the rivalry between Josep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp is the greatest managerial battle in modern football is a matter of personal preference. Some people may prefer something a little more harsh, a little more hostile.
But it was arguably the most multifaceted rivalry, the most tactically fascinating, and perhaps the most truly produced matches of top quality football. Here are 10 reasons why Guardiola and Klopp's meeting as managers of Manchester City and Liverpool has stood the test of time and will be fondly remembered for many years to come.
complete success
Both managers have won all four major trophies available to English teams: the Champions League, Premier League title, FA Cup and League Cup. We have come to take this for granted, and it is certainly true that in modern times it is easier than ever for big clubs to win multiple competitions.
However, in English football, there has never been a meeting between two managers who have won everything with one club. For example, Bob Paisley and Brian Clough won the European Cup but not the FA Cup, and Arsene Wenger missed out on the Champions League (and League Cup).
Guardiola vs. Klopp is unique in this respect, as the only other English club manager to have won all four games was Sir Alex Ferguson.
Manager Klopp celebrates Liverpool's Champions League victory in 2019 (Alexander Hassenstein – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
National character
In some ways, the Premier League has become Europe's super league in recent years, attracting the world's best managers and making it a truly global division more than any other league.
Guardiola and Klopp are not just from different countries, they are from the country that has had the biggest impact on the game over the past decade. Guardiola was the manager who best exemplified Spain's obsession with possession football, while Klopp was the epitome of Germany's emphasis on pressing. Their meetings, especially in the early days, were about the conflict between two football ideologies.
This is not always understandable. For example, the animosity between Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish in the mid-1990s was a major feature of the short-lived rivalry between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers, but this meant that the two players playing primarily in a 4-4 It wasn't so much a battle of styles, considering that the Scots-2 and relying on flying wingers.
learn from each other
Since Klopp and Guardiola's first meeting in football, there has been an evolution in the tactical battle between the two, with the two sides feeling like they embody completely different concepts. In recent years, their styles have converged.
Perhaps this was most evident in the midfield zone, where Guardiola began to rely on Ilkay Gundogan, a player who made a name for himself at Klopp's Dortmund. Around the same time, Klopp decided he wanted to incorporate more passing quality into his team and unfortunately signed Thiago, who has struggled to make a consistent impact for Liverpool.
After the last few meetings, both managers noted that Liverpool had become more patient and City more direct. That's partly because they've influenced each other's styles.
Thiago and Gundogan played under both managers (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
two battlefields
Unusually, the rivalry between Guardiola and Klopp continues between the top two clubs in the major leagues. Their first meeting, when they were managers of Bayern and Dortmund respectively, was a bit uneven – Bayern were busy signing Dortmund's key players – but tactically interesting.
When Guardiola faced Klopp's side for the first time, he used midfielder and defender Javi Martínez as a makeshift striker, capitalizing on his height as Bayern played long games to break Dortmund's press. and stole the ball in the air. In some ways, elements of that approach have been evident over the past few seasons, when City played an unusually long period with Erling Haaland, a more natural striker.
In England their meeting was much more equal. Including the games between Germany and England, Klopp has a 12-11 advantage over Guardiola.
longevity
No other manager has managed a team in the top four divisions of English football for as long as these two. Indeed, Harrogate Town's Simon Weaver was appointed in May 2009 and has been in charge ever since, but his first decade was spent outside the English Football League.
Coventry City's Mark Robins is the next longest-serving manager, entering his seventh year this week, while Mikel Arteta's four years are the next-longest spent entirely in the Premier League. .
These days, there are very few managers who manage the same club for eight years. There will never be another manager of the same two clubs who faced each other 49 times like Ferguson and Wenger did. His two records of 22 meetings could not have been better.
(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Shaping English football
Both managers had a huge influence on English football tactically.
Guardiola in particular helped revolutionize the game, encouraging others to believe in technical footballers who play from the back and play multiple playmakers together. For example, if we look at England's midfield at the 2018 World Cup, Gareth Southgate's audacity to use Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard as No. He was definitely influenced by the fact that he proved that the “free No. 8'' can work in the midfield. Southgate's holding player in that system, Jordan Henderson, was just beginning to play his role under Liverpool manager Klopp.
even deeper
Playing from the back: why teams do it and is it worth the risk?
Most recently, in an away game against North Macedonia, England deployed Trent Alexander-Arnold to the right of a three-man midfield, with Rico Luiz drifting from left-back into central midfield. Alexander-Arnold could only feature in that position as he played part of that role at Liverpool. Klopp adopted this position after Guardiola successfully moved the full-backs inside. Lewis is a clear example of a player specifically developed to play. That role.
There are two academy graduates from both teams here, giving England tactical intelligence and versatility.
open end-to-end match
The 21 meetings between Klopp's Liverpool and Guardiola's Manchester City have resulted in 3.2 goals per game, far more than the average number of goals per game in the Premier League over this period.
There were hardly any boring matches between the two sides, with only one 0-0. It happened again in 2018-19, and even that game was enlivened by Riyad Mahrez's late penalty miss – which for much of the season looked like it would decide the title race. In the end, City made a great run in the closing stages to win the title by one point.
Other long-running management battles have also caused their own share of complications. During the three years that Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez spent together as Chelsea and Liverpool managers in the mid-2000s, they clashed repeatedly in various competitions, with both teams scoring in just four of their 15 matches. . Its tactical battles were completely conservative and aimed at minimizing mistakes.
This tactical matchup was about risk, reward, and reliable technique. With scores of 5-0, 4-3, 4-0, 1-4, 3-2, 2-3, his two games will be thrilling when they go head-to-head for the title in 2021-22. It was done. -2 seconds.
(John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
european advantage
This is not just a rivalry that has dominated English football, it goes beyond the Premier League. These two teams are sometimes the best in Europe, and their Champions League encounter in 2017-18 was truly memorable, with Klopp's side leading 3-0 in the first leg at Anfield and then He survived the first game. They held off an early scare at the Etihad and won the return game 2-1.
They have never finished first or second in UEFA's coefficient rankings, but the closest they came was in 2022, when they were ranked tied for second with Bayern Munich leading the way. . But more often than not, they were the team other teams wanted. Avoid City as they have won the permanent title in Europe's best league and Liverpool offer equal quality and a more intimidating atmosphere on European nights.
(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
respect
This is a matter of preference. Some people prefer real animosity between managers, but this is the era of post-mind games. In the past, managers used to conduct games mainly in press conferences, but these days they are focusing more on tactical battles. Intensifying competition between managers does little for anyone and tends to reduce the quality of soccer.
It's also questionable whether soccer needs more nastiness than this. In the past, this was largely limited to press conferences and 90 minutes. It's probably a good thing for everyone's sanity that Klopp and Guardiola's relationship is almost completely amicable at a time when things are erupting with threats from fans on social media.
(Vision House/Getty Images)
symbolize the club
Guardiola vs. Klopp is undoubtedly the main personal 'clash' in these dominant City vs. Liverpool matchups, but this is not always the case in other rivalries.
For example, at the height of Ferguson and Wenger, the main topic of discussion was Roy Keane versus Patrick Vieira. When Guardiola and Jose Mourinho clashed in Spain, it was over Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo. When Mourinho played Benitez in England, it was Frank Lampard versus Steven Gerrard.
It's hard to find a comparable discussion about these two teams, except perhaps for the two Brazilian goalkeepers. Due to the different ways in which both teams play, there is a general perception that Liverpool's full-backs and wide players are more powerful, with City offering higher playmaking quality from midfield. Therefore, the focus is on how directors have utilized their strengths.
(Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Perhaps the only thing missing between Guardiola's City and Klopp's Liverpool is a major final. The two sides have faced each other at various stages of the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League, but have never faced each other in the final.
But the possibility remains. Both clubs are still in the FA Cup. Holding the 23rd edition of the tournament at Wembley in late May, the weekend after the title race has been decided, would be a great way to end a glorious era in English football.
(Top photo: Michael Regan – The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
