Liverpool Boss Jurgen Klopp: Pep Guardiola and I Have 'Respectful Relationship'
August 3, 2019
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said he and Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola share a "respectful relationship" despite Klopp's recent back-and-forth with Guardiola over City's spending.
In an interview with Goal's Neil Jones published on Saturday, Klopp revealed he talked to Guardiola on the phone in the dressing room after the Reds won the UEFA Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur on June 1.
The Liverpool manager was handed the phone by physio Lee Nobes, who moved to Anfield from the Etihad Stadium in November:
"There was just a lot of respect. I don't know who called who, but Lee obviously worked with him at City. It was nice, a nice moment.
"We talked about what a great season it was, we had a few jokes. We were both obviously in a good mood!"
Klopp said that he has little time for bitter managerial rivalries and sees no need for "this very negative kind of emotion" on the touchline, a viewpoint he believes Guardiola shares. He added:
"Of course it's different in the games, because we are both very competitive. At that point, I am not too concerned with how our relationship can improve! For 90 minutes, my focus is somewhere else.
"But it's a very respectful relationship. We don't have contact all of the time, apart from when we play each other—or if he calls our physio in the dressing room and I can get the phone! Apart from that, it's all good."
However, the coach recently angered the Catalan boss when he suggested City live in "fantasia land" and can splash out big money in the transfer market "constantly," per Sky Sports' Zinny Boswell.
Speaking ahead of City's clash with Liverpool in the FA Community Shield on Sunday, Guardiola disputed Klopp's comments:
The City manager otherwise had plenty of praise for his counterpart, though:
The Citizens and the Reds have increasingly become rivals in recent years.
Liverpool knocked City out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarter-final stage on their way to the final in the 2017-18 season. Before the first leg of that tie, Reds supporters damaged their opponents' team bus by throwing bottles, cans and fireworks at it.
In the last campaign, the Reds were the only challengers to Guardiola's outfit in the Premier League. They took the title race to the final day, with City finishing the season with 98 points to Liverpool's 97.
Their dispute over the Manchester club's spending aside, it seems there is no animosity between the two coaches. Whatever the result on Sunday, that will likely be clear on the sidelines.