Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool go head-to-head with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in a key Premier League fixture on Sunday
Klopp admits it's a difficult situation competing for honours in the same League with Pep Guardiola.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp who came up against Guardiola's Bayern Munich during his time at Borussia Dortmund, says it might be difficult for other managers to see a way past a coach he labels as "world's best". But the Reds manager has called on his team to give it their all in a match that has been billed as one of the biggest domestic clashes in years.
City have won three of the last four Premier League titles and head into the Sunday's clash one point clear of Klopp's challengers at the top. But the leaders did have a 14-point advantage as recently as January.
Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com : "If I would be a different person I would probably be a little bit depressed about the fact that Pep Guardiola is constantly coaching these kinds of teams. Maybe in Dortmund we could've won more titles if Pep wouldn't have been at Bayern.
"Now, it is pretty much the same, imagine if he would not be here, we probably could've won at least one more league title. But I am not like this, thank God. So, I am completely happy with our situation. I respect a lot what they do, it's an insane football team. And, for me, the world's best manager.
"So, that's a combination which makes it quite tricky. But, the good news, they are human beings as well. So, we all feel in moments. We do, they do. You have to be strong enough to be there when they are ready to play, let me say, or to be the reason. That's how it is.."
The two teams will also come up against each other in the FA Cup semi-final later this month at Wembley and remain on course for a potential Champions League final showdown in Paris too having both won the first legs of their quarter-final ties this week.
"I couldn't respect more what they are doing," Klopp added. "I like watching them. I cannot say I love a lot of opponents, or competitors, but I really like watching City. So, always when we play them, the analysis is a mix of serious work and real joy…it’s fantastic football.
"It's, like, the next level: where can you go with the football team? They set it up in a special way. They make it really difficult. They make the pitch big in moments. They make the pitch small in the right moments. They have sensational individuals and all these kinds of things. That's the truth.
"I cannot hide that. But the good thing is we are not too bad as well. So that helps, obviously, to keep us at a good distance at least."
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