Liverpool perfect opponents for 1,000th game as manager, says Man City boss Pep Guardiola
Defending league champions have been his ‘biggest rival’ in England, says Spaniard regarded as one of the best coaches of all time
Pep Guardiola takes charge of his 1,000th game as a manager when his Manchester City team face Liverpool on Sunday, and he says he could not wish for a better fixture to mark the milestone.
“Liverpool have been the biggest rival in this country and it could not be better, to be honest,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday. “I think we pushed Liverpool to be better and Liverpool pushed us to be better. That’s for sure.
“If I had to choose one rival for this personal milestone, that would be the best.”
Guardiola’s City were involved in two titanic title battles with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool in 2018-19 and 2021-22 – with City prevailing by a single point each time.
“Liverpool, especially with Jurgen, have been the biggest rival,” he said. “I always had the feeling of how much we respected each other.”
Former Spain midfielder Guardiola is regarded as one of the best coaches of all time, winning a combined 12 domestic league titles with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City as well as three Champions Leagues and numerous other cups.