After an incredible comeback, Liverpool are just a point behind Manchester City. Before the direct duel, a lot revolves around the two coaches.
Comparing yourself to the living tennis legends Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal – an ambitious thing. Before the summit duel in the English Premier League between Liverpool FC and Manchester City (Sunday, 5.30 p.m. / Sky), Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp dared to make that comparison between himself and his counterpart Pep Guardiola. At the press conference, the 54-year-old said of his esteemed colleague: “We push each other to incredible consistency and incredible points, almost like Federer and Nadal.”
Similar to the two tennis legends, the duels between the Germans and the Spaniards represent the highest sporting level. You know each other, appreciate each other and therefore get better because the other one is athletic.
In January, Manchester City were 14 points ahead of Liverpool – now it’s just one
In fact, Klopp and his team provided proof of the performance that can be brought out by the competitive situation between the two teams, which has been going on for years: while in January Manchester were already 14 points ahead of Liverpool, the Reds are currently only one point behind the current one Master. The team coached by the Germans has won ten league games in a row – if number eleven is added on Sunday, the Premier League has a new table leader with seven games to go.
Klopp has faced no coach more often than Guardiola
Either way, the game is a new act in the rivalry between Klopp and Guardiola, who have already feuded with BVB and Bayern in the Bundesliga. Klopp has not played more often against any other coach, while Guardiola has only sent his teams more often against a team coached by Jose Mourinho.
The balance of the previous 22 encounters: nine wins for both trainers, plus four draws.
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Things always got down to business, beginning in 2013 with a 4-2 victory for BVB in the League Cup. No game has gone goalless before – and that seems highly unlikely given the attacking orientation of both teams. In any case, according to Klopp, “there is no game in the world that can be compared to a game against City”. No other team is so perfectly organized and has so few weaknesses.
But that’s what makes it so appealing. It’s not that easy to beat Federer or Nadal either.
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