The mutual respect between Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp helps to create a special rivalry between the pair.
Neither has a bad word to say about the other and they are always open with their admiration of the way that both teams play football.
Speaking with Sky Sports after the game at the Etihad Stadium, the Manchester City boss was full of praise for our gaffer: “I don’t know if Jurgen respects me but he has to know that I respect him a lot. He makes me a better manager, at Bayern with Dortmund and here.
“His teams are always positive and aggressive and they want to score goals, they want to attack and I try to imitate him in that sense and I try to do it.
“Our relationship is that we are not friends, we don’t see each other and we don’t have dinner – well, dinner together one day in the hall of fame.
“I have his telephone number but I don’t call him but I have a lot of respect and he knows that next Saturday, I’m going to try and beat him”.
It’s interesting the hear the different terminology used by the Spaniard, saying ‘I’m going to try and beat him’ rather than a more likely ‘we’ from the German.
Saying that they will meet in a hall of fame is certainly true but again not something you’re likely to hear our manager say about himself.
They are different men and clearly not close friends but certainly admirers and worthy opponents.
You can watch Guardiola’s comments on him and Klopp (at 4:35) via Sky Sports Football on YouTube: