2026-05-29 10:47:57
Pep Guardiola has admitted that it was a “nightmare” taking on Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool team.
The Spanish coach stepped down as Manchester City manager last week after a decade in charge and described taking on Klopp’s Reds side – who they beat to Premier League titles by a single point in both 2019 and 2022 – as the toughest challenge of his glorious stint at the Etihad Stadium.
In an interview with Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher on City’s website, Guardiola said: “For the quality of the opponent we faced, we faced a lot but Liverpool was a nightmare. Every time, it was a nightmare.”
The coach stressed that he had nothing but respect for Klopp and plans to meet up with the German – whom he first encountered during his spell at Bayern Munich – now that the pair have moved on from management.
Guardiola said: “It [the relationship] was really good. It has always has been really good, even back in Germany. We faced each other a lot of times when he was at Dortmund.
“We have not been for dinner once but now it is going to happen.
“The relationship is one of the things I am proud of the most, I would say.
“They were really, really good first of all. But in the moment when they faced us they know that is the game that is the best of them and the best at Anfield.
“Anfield has a history that no stadium has. Few teams can win in Anfield. It’s a really tough place for me for the fact of the way they play, not just for the stadium.
“They were a special team. You sleep one second and they will punish you. The margins like that, it could have happened to us.”
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