Two juggernaut managers go head-to-head - Why Guardiola hates facing Klopp

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When Pep Guardiola first came to England, many questioned whether the Spaniard could recreate his dominance in Spain or Germany in a more competitive Premier League, and whether his “tiki-taka” style of play was suited to have the same commanding effect on English shores. That noise slightly raised in volume, after his first season in charge saw Manchester City finish third and trophyless, and face a crushing 4-0 defeat to Everton. Now that noise is silence, and Guardiola is affirmed as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, to ever manage in the game. He now controls a squad with a world high market value of €1.26 billion.

However, despite winning five Premier League’s, two FA Cup’s, four English League Cups, and a Champions League, there is still one man who continues to get under the Spanish tactician’s skin. Since Guardiola came to England no manager has taken more league points off him than Jürgen Klopp, and the German has beaten him a further four times in other competitions, including the Champions League quarter-final in 2018, where Liverpool won both legs. The two trophy-riddled bosses will go head-to-head once more this Saturday at The Etihad, separated by just a point in the Premier League table.

How Klopp has got the better of Guardiola

Guardiola has faced Klopp more than any other manager (28 times), and also lost to him more than he has against any other coach (12 times). Liverpool’s relentless pressing and direct football has been a thorn in Guardiola’s side ever since he moved to England. Since the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager arrived, Liverpool have reached over 90 points three times - but only won the title on one of those occasions in the 2019/20 season. Before that the club had never reached 90 points in the Premier League. Guardiola has set a new standard, but Klopp’s risen to the challenge. The German is the only manager that Guardiola has lost against more than he’s won, of those he's faced more than three times.

Speaking last season ahead of their FA Cup fourth round tie against Arsenal, Guardiola said, “I learned a lot by watching Liverpool, [Liverpool have been] the team I watched the most, for obvious reasons, because they were our biggest rival in the last years. And they’re going to come back sooner or later, knowing the club, and the manager, and of course, the players they have.”

Liverpool have never quite matched Man City’s possession stats, averaging 61% possession in the last five full seasons compared to the Sky Blues average of 65.9%, but it’s the ferocious speed of their attacks that has had Guardiola rattled at times in some frantic games between the two sides in recent campaigns. Liverpool have completed more through ball passes than any other team in the Premier League in each of the last five seasons. Their ability to transition quickly and get the ball to the likes of Mohamed Salah or Sadio Man é so rapidly have proved to be hard to counter from Guardiola. Man City have conceded 16 goals in 12 league games to Liverpool since Guardiola and Klopp began their rivalry in the North West of England.

Liverpool have also developed the ability to rise to the big occasion. In Klopp's eight years in charge, his team have only lost 10 games to teams that finished in the top four that season, and buoyed on by the ferocious Anfield atmosphere, have only lost two of those fixtures in question at home. Just two home defeats against teams qualifying for the Champions League in eight years demonstrates what a fortress Anfield has been against the top sides with Klopp in the dugout.

Does Liverpool's rejuvenated midfield have them back in the title race?

Liverpool’s dwindling impact on the Premier League title race seemed to coincide with the ageing of their midfield trio. Once the headquarters of energy and the groundworks for the flamboyant front three to strut their stuff and get the mind-boggling numbers that won the Merseyside club a Premier League, a Champions League, an FA Cup and a League Cup in recent years, the legs were no longer there. Last season, 29-year-old Fabinho, 32-year-old Jordan Henderson, and 37-year-old James Milner all featured over 30 times for Liverpool in the Premier League. Add to this the 32-year-old midfielder Thiago, who played 18 times, Liverpool lacked the dynamic midfield they once had, but there are now some new kids on the block.

This summer Liverpool forked out a combined €112 million to bring Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister, and RB Leipzig’s Dominik Szobozlai to Anfield. Mac Allister has been working primarily at the base of midfield, whilst Szobozlai has had the freedom to roam forward and join in attacks. The Hungarian tops key passes and recoveries for the club in the league this season, and already has 10 goals in 38 caps for his nation at just 23 years of age. The revitalised midfield seems to have taken some of the defensive burden off of Salah, which has seen the Egyptian revert to his potent former self, scoring 10 Premier League goals in 12 appearances - only bettered by the monstrous Erling Haaland.

Klopp’s men have lost just one league game this season, and that was a highly controversial, VAR centred, 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, in which they finished the game with just nine players. If they are to beat Man City at the Etihad this Saturday, they would go top of the table, and with Virgil van Dijk and Salah looking like their best again, Darwin Núñez beginning to fire, and the injection of the youthful summer signings in midfield, there’s no reason why they couldn't stay there.

How the spending of Guardiola’s Man City and Klopp’s Liverpool compare

From the point at which Guardiola has been at the helm at Man City, the club have spent €1.48b on new acquisitions. Since Klopp took over at Liverpool, they have spent €933.5m. When you take into account that Klopp has been at the Reds for a year longer than Guardiola, you can identify a clear gap in spending between the two clubs. Man City’s most expensive purchase is Jack Grealish, who arrived from Aston Villa for €117.5m in 2021, with Klopp’s biggest signing still van Dijk in 2017 for €84.65m from Southampton. When comparing the current squads, eight of the top 10 most valuable players between the two teams are Man City players.