Marc-Andre ter Stegen settles ongoing Man City-Liverpool debate
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp greets Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool F…
Since taking over the Barcelona job in 2008, Pep Guardiola has always been compared to other world-class managers.
During his time in Spain, Guardiola used to often be pitted against the-then Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho — as the pair were embroiled in one of the most intense rivalries in recent managerial history.
The £378,846-a-week man initially got the better of Mourinho, as he won the double during the latter’s first season in charge of the side from the Spanish capital where he only lifted the Copa del Rey trophy.
However, the Portuguese legend exacted revenge in his second season, leading Real Madrid to their first La Liga title since 2008 as the Catalan tactician spearheaded his side to a Copa del Rey triumph.
But comparing both managers’ stints at their respective clubs, Guardiola outdid Mourinho, winning three league titles, two Champions Leagues, two Copa del Rey trophies amongst various pieces of silverware.
The latter failed to reign supreme in Europe and even after the Spaniard’s departure, he did not win the league either.
Pep Guardiola’s rivalry with Jurgen Klopp stems from their time in Germany but it is England where the pair of managerial heavyweights were front and centre of arguably the greatest head-to-head in Premier League history.
Guardiola is set to manage Manchester City in his ninth season at the club while Klopp departed Liverpool in the summer.
Over their eight-year rivalry, opinions have been split over which manager is well and truly superior.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Liverpool FC a…
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Marc-Andre ter Stegen settles ongoing Man City-Liverpool debate
On one hand, it is believed that with the unprecedented manner in which Pep Guardiola has masterminded Manchester City’s dominance of English football, the answer must be him.
Others feel that Klopp took a Liverpool side lacking too much quality and belief, transforming their fortunes in a way Guardiola did not have to at the Etihad Stadium; giving him the edge in the constant comparisons made between the two managers.
In April last year, Harry Redknapp felt Guardiola was a superior manager to Klopp.
However, Simon Jordan prefers the German to the City boss, primarily due to the breathless brand of football he plays.
When Marc-Andre ter Stegen was asked whether Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp is the better manager by ESPN UK, he sided with the former.
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“I was talking more to Pep [Guardiola] than to Jurgen Klopp, so I would for the moment choose Pep.”
Pep Guardiola outdid Jurgen Klopp in England
In Germany, a fair claim can be made that with how Klopp led an unfancied Borussia Dortmund side to two Bundesliga titles, a DFB-Pokal trophy and a Champions League final, he managed to outdo Guardiola, who took over a Bayern Munich side which had won the treble the previous season.
But in England, Pep Guardiola was far and away the superior manager to Jurgen Klopp.
Guardiola has won six Premier League titles, one Champions League in a treble-winning season, four Carabao Cups, two FA Cup trophies, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Klopp, on the other hand led Liverpool to one league title, a Champions League trophy, one FA Cup triumph, two Carabao Cup trophies, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
Considering Pep Guardiola won significantly more than Jurgen Klopp while influencing how teams across the country played in England, he has certainly been the superior manager out of the two in the country.
With Guardiola also being the genius behind the great Barcelona teams, his success and influence since the
start of his career trumps Klopp.
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