On Sunday, Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp will face each other for the last time in the Premier League as managers of Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.
Klopp is departing from Liverpool at the end of the season, and many fans are hoping he can secure a second Premier League title as a farewell gift. Manchester City and Guardiola are the main rivals who can prevent that from happening, as they aim to make history with a fourth consecutive Premier League title and a possible double treble.
This weekend’s match is more than just a battle for three points, as it also affects the legacies of both managers. The media will inevitably compare Guardiola and Klopp, but only five players can truly judge how these two elite coaches operate.
Remarkably, only five players have played under both Klopp and Guardiola. Mario Gotze and Robert Lewandowski left Klopp’s Borussia Dortmund to join Guardiola’s Bayern Munich, while Thiago Alcantara and Xherdan Shaqiri played for Guardiola at Bayern before later signing for Liverpool under Klopp.
A City legend, Ilkay Gundogan, was Guardiola’s first captain. He had a stellar spell at Dortmund under Klopp’s management. Gundogan has praised Klopp often, but he has also expressed his feelings for Guardiola over the years.
“Before I joined Man City I thought ‘I know football’,” Gundogan told ESPN last year after leaving City. “I was 25, 26 years old so I thought I’ve seen a lot, I’ve won league titles, cup titles.
“But now, standing here after seven years of Pep’s school, I probably would say I didn’t know anything about football before. His influence, not just on the team, also on me personally, was just immense. The aspects, the little details of the game that he has taught me and showed to us I think is very special.”
Expanding on the difference between the two managers, Gundogan told Turkish TV channel Tivibu Spor in 2022 that Klopp’s man-management made him stand out as a coach. “When I came to Dortmund at the age of 20, I had an adaptation problem. The first six months were tough for me,” he said.
“But Klopp helped me because he treated his players like a father figure, like a friend. He was always with me, gave me confidence. I spent five successful years with him. I became a national player. I started working with [Joachim] Low. Then I had an incredible season with [Thomas] Tuchel in Dortmund. Then I had the opportunity to work with Guardiola.
“As I have always been a fan of Guardiola, I always wanted to work with him. In 2016, the opportunity arose and we had a phone call with him. We talked, we argued, and I finally came to Manchester City. I have been very happy here for five-six years. I am very happy with Pep, even my neighbour himself. He is a coach who has given me a lot. I am very satisfied with the coaches I have worked with so far.”
When leaving City last summer, Gundogan made sure to personally thank Guardiola for his support and guidance during his seven years at the Etihad.
“One of the hardest calls I had to make was to Pep, telling him that I was going to leave. All I could do was to say thank you,” he wrote in the Player’s Tribune.
“Not just for this season, or for all the trophies, but for bringing me here in the first place. I will never forget when I hurt my knee at the end of the season with Dortmund and I had to get surgery, I was so worried that City would pull out of the deal for me.
“But Pep called me on the phone and said, ‘Don’t worry, it doesn’t change anything. We want you here. We will wait for you no matter how long it takes.'”