You’d have to imagine Pep Guardiola is pretty fearless after winning 21 trophies over the course of his short managerial career.
The Catalan isn’t faring quite as well as everyone expected he would in England, but he’s still steered Manchester City to within a point of second place.
His side can overtake Liverpool with a win at Anfield tomorrow, though that’s easier said than done.
Even if the Reds are without two key men in Philippe Coutinho and Joel Matip, Jurgen Klopp’s men are a force to be reckoned with.
And Klopp believes Guardiola was brave to take over at City when he must have known what a tough league he was walking into.
“He could have had easier jobs in easier leagues, that is for sure. He was probably aware 100 percent of the big challenge,” the German said, via the Daily Mail.
“He knew he had a wonderful squad at Barcelona and a wonderful squad at Bayern. If you go to Barcelona as a new manager they will tell you, ‘Don’t forget, we play like Pep Guardiola played’.
“That’s the biggest influence you can have. Bayern loved the years he was there. He is a fantastic manager.”
Klopp is being surprisingly friendly given what’s at stake. Defeat for either side could have a huge impact on their title chances going into the New Year, but Liverpool can go into the fixture with confidence having already beaten Chelsea and Arsenal this season.
If Guardiola fails to win the title in his first season, he may well regret his decision to try his luck in England, but that could well be to Klopp’s advantage – if anyone can stop Chelsea.
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