For several seasons, Pep Guardiola has dominated European football and reigns supreme in the Premier League with Manchester City. However, throughout his coaching career, the Spaniard has had numerous rivalries with other great tacticians, most notably José Mourinho.
Indeed, while the Catalan had been preferred to
“Special One” to take the reins of Barça in 2008, the two men often clashed afterwards. In the Champions League, during the 2009-10 edition, Mourinho and his Inter Milan managed to eliminate Guardiola’s troop in the semi-finals, after two electric encounters. This rivalry finally came to a head when the Lusitanian arrived at Real Madrid in the summer of 2010.
“It was very difficult to thwart them”
However, if one coach has managed to tickle Guardiola like no other, it is Jürgen Klopp. Former coach of Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool, the German has regularly crossed swords with his Iberian counterpart, successively at the helm of Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
And despite the domination of the former Barcelona player in the championship, the results of the confrontations between the two technicians lean slightly in favor of the Stuttgart player. The latter won 12 against 11 for Guardiola, with 7 draws.
Asked about the opponent who tested him the most, Guardiola also did not hesitate to name Klopp. “Klopp’s Liverpool was the best opponent I faced. Not only in the way they played, but also because it was very difficult to defeat them.” he said.
