Pep Guardiola has been reflecting on coming up against Liverpool over the years after taking charge of his final Manchester City game at the weekend
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola has spoken about Jurgen Klopp and Man City's battles with Liverpool
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Pep Guardiola has paid Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool sides the ultimate compliment by admitting they were a 'nightmare' to come up against. Guardiola took charge of his final Manchester City game at the weekend after deciding to bring his glittering 10-year reign at the Etihad to an end.
Guardiola's City battled it out with Klopp's Liverpool at the summit of the English game for a number of years, and the pair also came head to head while in charge of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, in the Bundesliga between the years of 2013 and 2015. But it was in the Premier League where the two established a respectful rivalry as the Reds established themselves as the main competitors to Guardiola's City.
And speaking in an interview with Noel Gallagher in which he reflected on his time at the Etihad, Guardiola admitted: "For the quality of the opponent we faced, we faced a lot but Liverpool was a nightmare. Every time, it was a nightmare."
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Before he added: "It was really good, it always has been really good - even back in Germany. We faced (each other) a lot of times when he was at Dortmund."
Klopp stepped down as Liverpool manager in the summer of 2024, after almost nine years in charge, to take a break from management.
The German has since become global head of soccer for the Red Bull group and Guardiola is looking forward to catching up.
“We have not been for dinner once but now it is going to happen," he said. "The relationship is one of the things I am proud of the most, I would say."
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola exchange words during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 16, 2022
Pep Guardiola has spoken about his relationship with Jurgen Klopp(Image: Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
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Anfield often proved to be one nut that Guardiola and City found almost impossible to crack during Klopp's time in charge of the Reds.
So much so that the Catalan only won one on his trips to the home of the Reds, a 4-1 behind closed doors victory in February 2021, during the German's time in charge.
And Guardiola was full of praise for Anfield, saying: "They were really, really good but in the moment when they face us they know that is the game that gets the best of them and Anfield.
“Anfield has a history that no stadium has. It's a really tough place for me for the fact the way they play, not just for the stadium. They were such a special team. You sleep one second and they punish you. The three up front…”
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