Pep Guardiola: Liverpool Are 1 of 'The Best 2 Sides I've Faced as a Manager'

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has placed Liverpool alongside Luis Enrique's Barcelona as the two best sides he has encountered as a manager. 

The Reds will be above the Sky Blues heading into the final day of the Premier League season if the latter fail to beat Leicester City on Monday, and Guardiola said winning the title would be one of the crowning moments of his career.

Per Goal, he said:

"Arriving at this stage, two games left with 92 points, after 100 points last season ... being there, that is the most satisfaction I've had as a manager.

"It's not easy, honestly. In my career as a manager, I played against incredible sides. There are two that were 'wow.' One is Barcelona with Luis Enrique, with Neymar, [Lionel] Messi and [Luis] Suarez in front. The other is this Liverpool.

"I think they're the best two sides I've faced as a manager. That's why being here, with it in our hands, fighting against them until the end. One of the biggest achievements."

Enrique's Barcelona beat Guardiola's Bayern Munich 5-3 on aggregate in the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League in 2015 before going on to win the trophy.

The Blaugrana achieved 90 or more points in La Liga in each of his three seasons in charge, winning two titles, and they also won three consecutive Copa's del Rey.

Following Liverpool's 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Saturday, only City last season and Chelsea in the 2004-05 campaign have accrued more points in a single Premier League season than the Reds' 94.

Opta's Duncan Alexander gave further insight into the efforts of Klopp's Liverpool this season:

Football writer Leanne Prescott was full of praise for Liverpool after their win over the Magpies:

The clash with Newcastle came after the Reds were beaten 3-0 by Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

Speaking on Sunday Supplement, football journalist Melissa Reddy hailed their ability to bounce back from such disappointments:

Klopp's ability to change their mentality in that way has transformed the team from also-rans to relentless title challengers who have pushed City all the way.

Guardiola also praised the Sky Blues' own resilience, given they were seven points behind in January and now have the title race in their own hands.

"The personality is when it goes wrong and how they react in bad moments, how they stand up in the game and after a big defeat," he said. "In two seasons, we did it. We react well to knockouts in our faces."

City face their last big test of the Premier League campaign on Monday when they host a Leicester side that have won five of their last seven matches and beat them earlier in the campaign.

The Sky Blues face a Brighton & Hove Albion side that have secured safety ahead of the final day, and they'll only need to match Liverpool's result at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers to win the league if they beat the Foxes.

City have won 12 Premier League games in succession, so it's an enormous testament to the Reds that they're still in the race at this stage.