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MANCHESTER. — Pep Guardiola had nothing but good things to say about English Premiership football title rival Jurgen Klopp after their sides played out a thrilling 2-2 draw on Sunday afternoon.
City twice led on the day, through Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus, but Liverpool responded through Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane.
Speaking about Klopp after the game, Guardiola said: “I don’t know if Jurgen respects me but I respect him a lot,” said Guardiola. “He makes me a better manager . . . his teams are positive, aggressive and they want to attack. I try to imitate him.
“We aren’t friends, we don’t have dinner together, we will have dinner one day in the hall of fame, I have his telephone number but I don’t call him. I have a lot of respect for him and he knows next Saturday (in the FA Cup semis), we’ll try to beat him.”
On City’s run in, Guardiola added: “Seven games in the English Premier League is a lot of points, we have to play away, they have to but I had a feeling we’ll behave. I don’t know what’s going to happen. The way we performed against a team that I admire a lot.
“That made me think a lot, offensively, defensively, make me think for so many years perform the way they perform.
“I want to win the Premier League but it doesn’t matter. We’re so good and I think all our fans enjoyed it.
“It is what it is (the draw). You are the pundit, you have to analyse, to write and tell, it’s what is. In Anfield we played an incredible half and when we equalised, it was the same result.
“I had the feeling we’ll miss the opportunity to get four points but I said to you, it doesn’t happen win, lose, draw it’s not over. I’d say the same with a win, it’s not over because I told you we’d take an advantage. We know what we have to do, go to Madrid, FA Cup then we finish. The Premier League is as big as possible.”
Meanwhile, Klopp has likened Liverpool’s thrilling 2-2 draw at Manchester City to a “boxing match” and believes the point his side picked up was “deserved”, with the share of the spoils keeping them on the tails of the table toppers.
Both teams scored twice in a Premier League classic, with Mane’s neat finish less than a minute after the second-half restart the game’s decisive act, and the Reds manager admitted he enjoyed the visitors’ performance.
Indeed, he believes that the rollercoaster encounter at the Etihad was akin to two heavyweights looking to exploit each other’s weaknesses.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, he said: “Wild. First half was City. That’s how it is. I think we can describe it as like a boxing fight. Arms down for a second and you get a massive knock. I liked a lot of things. I think we were closer than ever.
“In the second half we started much better. City really tried to use the balls in behind. They have these smart runs. We were lucky with the goal they scored. It was off-side but it was close.” — Mailonline.
Online Reporter