LONDON: Pep Guardiola on Friday credited Jurgen Klopp with making him a better manager before this weekend’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash between Liverpool and Manchester City at Anfield.
The two head coaches have won the last four Premier League trophies, with City claiming three, and a fierce rivalry has developed between the clubs.
Manchester City fended off Liverpool’s 2018/19 title challenge despite the Reds amassing 97 points — a title-winning total in all but one previous Premier League season.
Guardiola and Klopp were also dugout rivals in Germany’s Bundesliga between 2013 and 2015 as the Spaniard’s Bayern Munich dominated at the expense of Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund.
The rivalry is set to continue on Sunday as table-topping Liverpool host second-placed City, who is only one point behind.
“His (Klopp’s) teams helped me to become a better manager. He put me at another level, to think about it and to prove myself to be a better manager, to try to beat them,” Guardiola said.
“That is the reason why I am still in this business. Some managers — and Jurgen is one of them — challenge you to make a step forward.”
Klopp’s Liverpool has been tough to beat at Anfield, with the Reds going 68 league games without defeat at home between April 2017 and January 2021.
Manchester City’s 4-1 win at Anfield last season was their first victory on Liverpool turf in 18 years and has been attributed to the game being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But Guardiola insisted his team was relishing a vibrant Anfield and that any hostile atmosphere would not prevent his team from playing their game.
“I am very pleased Anfield is full again. We can enjoy a fantastic atmosphere and hopefully we can handle it,” he added.
“I am sure the players enjoy (more) to play with fans in Anfield than without. Everything is more alive, more difficult.”
Left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan will be missing from Guardiola’s squad on Sunday and will not be available until after October’s international break.
Guardiola says Klopp has made him a better manager
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Guardiola says Klopp has made him a better manager
- The two head coaches have won the last four Premier League trophies, with City claiming three, and a fierce rivalry has developed between the clubs
- "His (Klopp's) teams helped me to become a better manager," Guardiola said
MI Emirates book ILT20 final spot with 7-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
- Allah Ghazanfar triple sets up 82-run stand from Al-Hasan, Banton
- MI Emirates to face Desert Vipers in the Season 4 final on Friday
SHARJAH: MI Emirates booked their place in the International League T20 final with a convincing seven-wicket victory over Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Despite an unbeaten half-century from Alishan Sharafu, the Knight Riders were restricted to 120/8, with Allah Ghazanfar starring with the ball, finishing with figures of 3 for 24.
The Emirates’ Shakib Al-Hasan and Tom Banton lcombined for an 82-run partnership to set up a final showdown against the Desert Vipers at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.
MI Emirates made an early breakthrough in the second over, when Michael Pepper was run out for one by a superb direct hit from Andre Fletcher. Brandon McMullen followed soon after, trapped LBW by Muhammad Rohid for 13, as the Knight Riders limped to 31/2 at the end of the powerplay.
Liam Livingstone endured a difficult stay at the crease before being dismissed by Rohid in the seventh over, departing for just four.
With the spinners applying sustained pressure, boundaries were hard to come by, aside from Arab Gul’s 12th over, which went for 13 runs.
Alex Hales and Sharafu attempted to rebuild with a 47-run stand off 44 balls, but Ghazanfar struck with the final delivery of the 14th over to remove Hales for 29. Ghazanfar returned late in the innings to claim two wickets in the 18th over, dismissing Jason Holder and Sunil Narine in quick succession, as the Knight Riders closed on 120/8, with Sharafu reaching his half-century off the final ball.
In reply, MI Emirates were pegged back early when Fletcher fell for five in the second over to Ajay Kumar. Holder and Narine maintained the pressure during the powerplay, with Banton and Muhammad Waseem finding it difficult to rotate the strike as MI Emirates reached 26/1 after six overs.
The pair steadied the innings before Narine trapped Waseem LBW in the eighth over. Shakib then joined Banton and shifted the momentum decisively, striking Livingstone for a six and two fours in a 17-run 12th over, with the duo bringing up their 50-run stand in just 29 balls.
Banton reached his half-century off 49 deliveries in the 15th over, taking 18 runs off Holder to leave MI Emirates needing just eight runs from the final five overs. Although Shakib departed in the 16th over, MI Emirates completed the chase with 23 balls to spare to seal their place in the final.
Player of the Match Al-Hasan said winning the toss had been crucial.
“The bowlers were outstanding and kept picking up wickets, which made the difference. With the bat, the focus was on batting time and managing overs, especially against the spinners,” he said.
“That was my role today. In pressure games, losing wickets makes it very hard to recover.”
Knight Riders captain Holder said his team struggled to build momentum on a challenging wicket.
“Still, considering where we were midway through the tournament, I thought it was a solid effort overall. We came up short tonight but the commitment throughout the campaign was excellent,” he said.
“Andre was outstanding and everyone contributed at different stages of the tournament.”
