This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan believes Jurgen Klopp is a better manager than Pep Guardiola and states that the Reds are “irresistible” right now.
What did he say?
Liverpool and Manchester City are set to clash this Sunday at Anfield. The European champions are currently six points clear of City and a win for the home side would put them a comfortable nine points ahead in the table.
Jordan told talkSPORT: “I debate the fact Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world right now.
“I think Jurgen Klopp is a better manager because of the intensity and the irresistibility of Liverpool.
“Despite the beauty of Man City, and this is something I’ve already said and don’t care if fans like it or not, there’s something about Man City that resembles a Frankenstein club – they’ve just bought everything.
“There’s something about Liverpool’s style of play and attitude now that appeals to me personally. I look at Liverpool and I find them irresistible.”
Two of the greats
Klopp is slightly more experienced, as Guardiola is only 48 years old compared to Klopp who is 52. However, despite much less time in management, the Spaniard has certainly achieved a lot more than the German.
Guardiola spearheaded the great Barcelona side earlier this decade towards two Champions League medals, three consecutive La Liga titles and two Spanish Cups. To add to these incredible honours, the great Sir Alex Ferguson even stated that this Barcelona team was ‘the best team ever’ after losing to Guardiola in both of those European finals.
The 48-year-old would even surpass Klopp in his homeland by winning three Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich, compared to the German’s two league medals with Borussia Dortmund.
There will be the argument that the City boss has had a much easier time as a coach. The money at the Etihad and the already table-topping teams in Germany and Spain made life much simpler for him.
On the other hand, Klopp has built much of this Liverpool team by himself. Eight of Liverpool’s starting XI in the recent Champions League final victory were all recruited by him.
Regardless of whether you’re team Klopp or Guardiola, the Premier League is currently witnessing two of the all-time greats at their brilliant best, and that can only be good news for the division.
