Liverpool fans have taken to social media to share their respect for Pep Guardiola as his tenure as Manchester City manager is due to come to an end this Sunday.
Read Man City have shared that Enzo Maresca is set to replace Guardiola after he picked up his 20th trophy as Man City won the FA Cup at Wembley.
After 10 years at the club, he will be chasing his seventh Premier League title in the league decider vs Aston Villa on Sunday. This will be a repeat of the game in 2022, where a Gundogan winner snatched the title away from Liverpool on the final day. Liverpool fans are now left to reflect on an era that saw them play their best football but win only two league titles.
Mutual respect
Guardiola was always aware of the quality of the sides his City were competing against and clear to the reality of what this meant. The standard he set to be better than the rest was ridiculous. Liverpool fans acknowledging this mutual respect tells you everything about what those battles meant.
Liverpool fans will not weep for Manchester City today, and there will be no guard of honour at the Kop for his departure, nor should there be. But the respect in the reaction from the Anfield faithful since the news broke of Guardiola’s departure speaks volumes about what the rivalry represented.
The end of an era: Pep Guardiola vs Jurgen Klopp
Guardiola and Klopp signalled an era of Premier League football in which two of the league’s best teams battled for perfection. Liverpool’s trophyless tallies of 97 and 92 points are a testament to the perfection that competing against Pep required. With the outpour of acknowledgement at his exit, they are showing clearly to the City manager the respect as he exits that this period of high-level football requires.
Guardiola took on Liverpool 27 times as Manchester City manager, and aptly, the teams couldn’t be split. Both teams won 10 matches, and seven ended as a draw. His rivalry with Liverpool simply couldn’t be separated.
Liverpool’s own manager struggles and pushes for progress
While Liverpool fans reflect on what was a special time for the club, it does raise some questions about the future. Despite winning the league in Slot’s first season, Liverpool is in the midst of a difficult manager transition period. Manchester United, Chelsea and now Manchester City are all in relatively unstable situations when it comes to the manager position. Liverpool fans will feel justified in asking for more. They want to take advantage of this period of transition and aim for title number 21.
