Pep Guardiola is regarded as one of the best managers of all time. He trails only Sir Alex Ferguson in terms of Premier League legacy, but he has also achieved great success in Spain and Germany with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively. The Manchester City manager has won almost everything with every club he has managed. He’s worked with outstanding players and faced up against some of the best coaches in football history.
Guardiola has faced Ferguson, Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, and Arsene Wenger throughout the years, but one manager in particular stands out to him as the most difficult opponent of his career. Given their previous clashes on the largest of settings, it should come as no surprise who he chose.
Guardiola named Jurgen Klopp as the toughest manager he faced.
They competed against each other in Germany and England.
While they competed in Germany, with Guardiola at Bayern Munich and Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, it was their competition in England, with City and Liverpool, that most likely won the German the title of the toughest manager Guardiola has ever faced. For several years, the two Premier League sides competed at the top of the league, and Liverpool made City work harder for their success than anybody else. As a result, it’s not unexpected that the coach considers Klopp to be his hardest opponent.
Guardiola mentioned Klopp and Liverpool at a lecture for the UEFA Pro course in Spain, naming them his toughest opponents. He said:
“Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have been the most challenging team I’ve ever faced. There were times when I believed I had him, but the next day he [Klopp] destroyed me again. He was unquestionably the roughest. Because of his style of play, transitions, directness, and attacking with a large number of players. Inside midfielders are often support players, but Klopp’s midfielders prioritized attacking space.
“So he’d force the full-backs to close down a lot, then use his full-backs to open you up on the outside.” They kept sprinting inside. Firmino would drop back. Salah and Mane’s runs following him were unstoppable. It was quite tough to counteract. I attribute a lot of our success throughout the years to the amazing caliber of the opponents we’ve faced. The three or four league titles we won against Klopp represent our finest achievement. “I’ve never faced a tougher opponent.”
Klopp’s Liverpool only won the Premier League once, but there’s no doubt that they pushed City to the brink on several times, and they frequently appeared to have Guardiola’s number on the pitch.
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