The rivalry between Manchester City and Liverpool is quickly starting to manifest itself as a clash of the Premier League's two best coaches.
For three years, German goofball Jurgen Klopp and the enigmatic Pep Guardiola have kept it respectful and civil.
There has been nothing like the toxic enmity which infused Spanish football when Guardiola and Jose Mourinho went head to head as the main men at Barcelona and Real Madrid β and it is unlikely there will be.
But Guardiola's jab at Sadio Mane's penchant for hurling himself to the ground this week was met with Klopp's riposte about tactical fouls, and a staunch defence of his player.
On the final whistle on Sunday, these matters will be resolved by a back-slap and a handshake, no doubt.
But where it matters, on the pitch, Guardiola has been winning the fight hands down, just as he did with Mourinho.
In head to head games, it could not be closer, with two wins each and two draws in the six encounters between the two since Guardiola became City boss in 2016.
And with Liverpool claiming victory in both legs of the 2018 Champions League quarter-final, Liverpool fans might claim that Klopp has the edge.
But titles are not won in head to head games, and when you examine the record of the respective managers, Guardiola has sprinted ahead of a rival who had a 30-match head start.
Klopp took the reins at Liverpool in October 2015, while Guardiola moved in to the City hot-seat the following summer.
As a result, the German has been in charge for 155 Premier League games, as opposed to Guardiola's 125.
And yet, amazingly, both managers have won 95 matches. That gives Klopp a respectable win rate of 61 per cent, the best in Liverpool's illustrious history.
But it pales in comparison to Guardiola's stunning 76.6 per cent win rate, easily the best in Premier League history, ahead of Antonio Conte's 67.1 per cent at Chelsea.
In terms of defeats, Guardiola has lost 14 times and Klopp 20, while City are not far behind Liverpool in terms of goals scored, with 315 to 331, despite playing 30 games fewer.
Guardiola has picked up seven Manager of the Month awards to Klopp's five, but of course, there is one stat that matters above all others.
Guardola has won the league title in two of his three seasons, while Klopp has yet to achieve that feat.
In fact, Klopp's triumph in the Champions League final this year brought him his only major trophy since he joined Liverpool.
Guardiola, after a pot-less first season, has added two League Cups, an FA Cup and two Community Shields to his impressive career haul.
Such stats mean nothing going into Sunday's game of course β but in the long run, Guardiola has proved he is a serial winner. Klopp has yet to do so.
Frivic
0
Wow,this author is a complete City fan. So biased. Open your eyes and you will see that both coaches inherited very different teams,with Klopp inheriting a weaker team than Pep. And yet this manager has won the Champions league, I do believe you know the difference, it's the Champions league. Pep has been struggling all these years to even be in the final even after inheriting such a strong squad. Klopp has made Liverpool believe again,He has literally transformed Liverpool. I respect Pep,but I think Klopp should be respected and applauded too.
You have a point. The two coaches are all phenomenal but I believe you will agree with me that your team needs the UCL badly and If he manage to win that ,that will be legendary
solo___214
0
Try to understand man city fans they really going through hard times just looking at the EPL table and realising that Liverpool have already played against the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester and man u.
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Yea but I hope Liverpool win the tittle this year
AC9999
0
not one in the last 20
yes look at the irony we haven't won much in last 30 yrs still have a lot more trophies than your club[Crylaugh]
Kekbkpsu
0
Try to understand man city fans they really going through hard times just looking at the EPL table and realising that Liverpool have already played against the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester and man u.
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whether it will change later but as for now it is a thorn in their flesh.
Hasoryz
0
Based on Guardiola's track record of staying at a club, I have sneaky suspicion that if he does not win the League and Champions League this season, he may leave City for PSG or Juventus in a season or two.
Guardiola is best that's why
Hasoryz
0
But that champions league klopp took pep is yet to get it as city coach..this is where champions play.
. even liverpool was UCL before
solo___214
0
Try to understand man city fans they really going through hard times just looking at the EPL table and realising that Liverpool have already played against the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester and man u.
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I think it's to early to say remember what happened last year but I think Liverpool will win the premier league
Jehelopry
1
mendy more then 40 million TAA red born boy Walker 54 million Andy Robertson 8 million matip free and stones more then 40 million that is the difference between klop and guardiola klop is the best manager in the world
Chrismaris1
0
But that champions league klopp took pep is yet to get it as city coach..this is where champions play.
Cubabioz
0
By the way Man City won titles even before came in
Even before who came in? Are you gay?
Suyash_Bhandare_613
0
we have 18 league titles π€π»
not one in the last 20
Suyash_Bhandare_613
0
but we give competition in pl but City gets knocked out of the UCL very early
u are the only other competition in pl
AverageS4v4g3
0
Yeah,because the quality he had and what he achieved was not monumental .What City wanted most was not league trophy and so far Pep has failed to deliver the ucl
What he achieved is not monumental? The 1st EPL team to bag all 4 domestic trophies in history while racking up the 2nd most pts tally. Whether the UCL is an ultimate target should not diminish the greatness of what else that was achieved. An absolutely fantastic Liverpool that would destroy almost every season prior came in 2nd to us, now if that doesn't warrant praise, respect and applause....then football on a whole is a joke
Wwm
0
kloop build teams, pep buy teams
klopp build team. just build team. be happy building team. pep buy team. win tons of trophy. I happy winning them
Dadabelmn
0
By the way Man City won titles even before came in
Dadabelmn
1
The article has failed since it has not mentioned how much Guadiola has spent to bring in new players and bring Man City were it is today...compared to how Kloop has much from the time he arrived at Anfield...reading through the article you can tell that the author is bias and loves Guadiola very much than Kloop. But we don't care as Liverpool supporters
Antoinette Perrine
1
guardiola had all the money in the world. ππππ all the issues at man city are resolved by guardiola spending big. klopp resorted to spending big only last season.
Cauenpryz-
2
The writer cant compare like this. Guardiola inherited good players, title winners. Klopp inherited average players, and only spent big in 1 of the 3 summer windows, Guardiola spent $100m every transfer windows, Walker Mendy, Stones around$50m each those are crazy numbers.
JonaCloete
0
Haters are writing lengthy articles to criticize the writer just because he said Guardiola is better. Klopp doesn't spend much to win. Question is, how many trophies did he win with Liverpool be4 signing the most expensive defender(VVD) and the most expensive keeper(Alison)? Obviously, Klopp had to spend to begin winning.
It was not like he had a choice to pay what the clubs valued these players at. He pursued VVD for 2 seasons not because he was expensive, but because we needed a good defender...We had to pay what the market predicted his value was, so we did. We needed a better goalkeeper than Mignolet and Karius, Alisson was available at the price we paid for him...afterall, both these buys proved to be excellent investments. We will unfortunately not pursue a player who is priced out of the market like Barca is doing with an out of form Neymar...that is plain ridiculous
JonaCloete
0
Based on Guardiola's track record of staying at a club, I have sneaky suspicion that if he does not win the League and Champions League this season, he may leave City for PSG or Juventus in a season or two.
JonaCloete
0
Haters are writing lengthy articles to criticize the writer just because he said Guardiola is better. Klopp doesn't spend much to win. Question is, how many trophies did he win with Liverpool be4 signing the most expensive defender(VVD) and the most expensive keeper(Alison)? Obviously, Klopp had to spend to begin winning.
Of course he should be better. Having the best players in your team make you better. Only 8 of the 27 City first team starting players cost them under β¬50m. Liverpool has only 3 first players who cost more than β¬50m. Unfotunately, Klopp does not have oil money to spend like Guardiola.
Kekbkpsu
2
Try to understand man city fans they really going through hard times just looking at the EPL table and realising that Liverpool have already played against the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester and man u.
kamenouy
2
I think if I had spent a Β£1billion on a squad I would have a high win rate too - Klopp is much better manager by far given resources!!
AdukaAnfield
0
no matter what the stat tell is i just believed Liverpool will make sure the job is done in Anfield.. we are Liverpool. ynwa
Saadpuz
0
ucl is main trophy which klopp has won so what more?
but we give competition in pl but City gets knocked out of the UCL very early
miccdinoty
0
Haters are writing lengthy articles to criticize the writer just because he said Guardiola is better. Klopp doesn't spend much to win. Question is, how many trophies did he win with Liverpool be4 signing the most expensive defender(VVD) and the most expensive keeper(Alison)? Obviously, Klopp had to spend to begin winning.
AC9999
0
if it is so imp and difficult to win, u should have won the league and cups which according to u are easy
we have 18 league titles π€π»
AverageS4v4g3
0
The stat is based on Guardiola having managed 30 fewer games than Klopp. The stat pretends to make a like for like comparison, but fails to consider the team Klopp inherited against what Guardiola inherited. It further fails to compare the total spent on new players between Klopp and Guardiola during the period covered by the article. It fails to recognize that while Klopp primarily focused on building his team's success, Guardiola had the luxury to buy his team's success. Any team with the resources Man City has can become an overnight success. A more reliable measure of success between Guardiola and Klopp's managerial careers has to take into account that Guardiola has thus far only managed teams with huge amounts of resources and could select from among the best players money can buy. Klopp's success has come from building average teams into great ones. There is a direct link between winning accolades and assembling a squad of superstars...this is not an indicator or a measure of how good Guardiola is. The test for Guardiola would be whether he would he able to achieve what Klopp has with an average team of players.
Let's make this simple, as you're incessant pointless rambling only glosses over your bias and ignorance. You can get behind the wheel of a Ferrari and still come dead last if you can't drive....so pivoting to City's vast resources is just another means of undercutting Pep's brilliance and talent. But don't let the facts get in the way of your biased ignorance
Kiscepru
3
klopp inhelted a ateam which was out side the top 4 while Guardiola inhelted a team which was in top 4 even a champion of England ayear before, so expected klopp to carry ateam which he joined in January and win atrophy .even Guardiola who in helted awing team never won anything after he even added some players that very season
Frivic
0
Wow,this author is a complete City fan. So biased. Open your eyes and you will see that both coaches inherited very different teams,with Klopp inheriting a weaker team than Pep. And yet this manager has won the Champions league, I do believe you know the difference, it's the Champions league. Pep has been struggling all these years to even be in the final even after inheriting such a strong squad. Klopp has made Liverpool believe again,He has literally transformed Liverpool. I respect Pep,but I think Klopp should be respected and applauded too.
Yeah,because the quality he had and what he achieved was not monumental .What City wanted most was not league trophy and so far Pep has failed to deliver the ucl
GodiiDebruyne
1
I wish we respect each other.
Suyash_Bhandare_613
0
ucl is main trophy which klopp has won so what more?
if it is so imp and difficult to win, u should have won the league and cups which according to u are easy
AverageS4v4g3
0
what were the facts?
Obviously you don't read, as the article listed the win rates vs matches played and accolades won by both managers.
laobcty
0
Pep is much superior as he win everything as a manager nothing is left to win
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He left Barcelona to go to a top team in Bayern to win Bundesliga? When he realized he can't win UCL with Bayern, he left thinking maybe big budget Man City can. Now, he might need to leave Man City soon and I don't know where else he can go with big budget except PSG.
Saadpuz
3
ucl is main trophy which klopp has won so what more?
JonaCloete
5
What does this statement mean? "But where it matters, on the pitch, Guardiola has been winning the fight hands down, just as he did with Mourinho". How do you explain yourself in light of such a glaring contradiction in your first statement, when your second statement which puts Klopp and Pep level, with "two wins each and two draws in the six encounters between the two"... How is Guardiola winning on the pitch? "Journalism" like this leaves much to be desired, as it shows a need to share an opinion at all costs, even if it is nonsensical. Also, whether or not Liverpool succeed or fail is not dependent solely on the results against Man City, but all of the other 18 clubs in the league. Journalists should stop portraying City as the ultimate arbiter of who wins the League.
AverageS4v4g3
0
What you fail to mention is that Pep took over an outfit that had already spent millions of pounds and he went on to spend another $500m plus on the same team with Liverpool scarcely ruffling the water in terms of expenditure. Only last season they invested more and look at the results. What it simply means is that if the playing field was the same for both, Pep would have been holding the broomstick. Pep thrives on expensive players, he is a spender, check all the teams he has been in charge of. Klopp is a builder, he produces talent and his stats do not lie. Let's concentrate on Dortmund and Liverpool and count the ordinary players he has turned into stars!!!
We're going to assume that all of Liverpool's players came from your academy. Especially Alisson and VVD, 2 of the most expensive players in the league based on position
laobcty
0
hatred for pep and city will kill you one day if u dnt mind ur club business
There is no hatred for Pep and Man City. Only love for Liverpool and Klopp.
AverageS4v4g3
0
Wow,this author is a complete City fan. So biased. Open your eyes and you will see that both coaches inherited very different teams,with Klopp inheriting a weaker team than Pep. And yet this manager has won the Champions league, I do believe you know the difference, it's the Champions league. Pep has been struggling all these years to even be in the final even after inheriting such a strong squad. Klopp has made Liverpool believe again,He has literally transformed Liverpool. I respect Pep,but I think Klopp should be respected and applauded too.
How can facts be biased? And I don't think Klopp is not respected and applauded, even us City fans rate Klopp very highly....if it's anyone that is not respected it's City and Pep. With what we achieved last season, our players are not considered for any awards and Pep got snubbed for the shortlist of manager of the year award.
Kiaadmnt
0
What you fail to mention is that Pep took over an outfit that had already spent millions of pounds and he went on to spend another $500m plus on the same team with Liverpool scarcely ruffling the water in terms of expenditure. Only last season they invested more and look at the results. What it simply means is that if the playing field was the same for both, Pep would have been holding the broomstick. Pep thrives on expensive players, he is a spender, check all the teams he has been in charge of. Klopp is a builder, he produces talent and his stats do not lie. Let's concentrate on Dortmund and Liverpool and count the ordinary players he has turned into stars!!!
hatred for pep and city will kill you one day if u dnt mind ur club business
Feobcemtuz
0
I have never seen a more one sided article. You count '2 community shield' for Guardiola but Klopp's UEFA Super Cup doesn't count.
please remind him of over billion defends yet lost two times already
Frivic
4
Wow,this author is a complete City fan. So biased. Open your eyes and you will see that both coaches inherited very different teams,with Klopp inheriting a weaker team than Pep. And yet this manager has won the Champions league, I do believe you know the difference, it's the Champions league. Pep has been struggling all these years to even be in the final even after inheriting such a strong squad. Klopp has made Liverpool believe again,He has literally transformed Liverpool. I respect Pep,but I think Klopp should be respected and applauded too.
Dobailoz
1
Chelsea Man Utd has as wel spent big in recent seasons. i think Pep is a goat
mrkopite
0
Pep is much superior as he win everything as a manager nothing is left to win
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like he won champion league with Bayern and man city
Vouir
1
I have never seen a more one sided article. You count '2 community shield' for Guardiola but Klopp's UEFA Super Cup doesn't count.
VividKop
2
What you fail to mention is that Pep took over an outfit that had already spent millions of pounds and he went on to spend another $500m plus on the same team with Liverpool scarcely ruffling the water in terms of expenditure. Only last season they invested more and look at the results. What it simply means is that if the playing field was the same for both, Pep would have been holding the broomstick. Pep thrives on expensive players, he is a spender, check all the teams he has been in charge of. Klopp is a builder, he produces talent and his stats do not lie. Let's concentrate on Dortmund and Liverpool and count the ordinary players he has turned into stars!!!
hoeebisms009
0
Pep is much superior as he win everything as a manager nothing is left to win
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Win a CL with City and he is the best coach in the world and in history