Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has responded to comments made by his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp in the build-up to Sunday’s showdown between the two clubs at Anfield.
During his pre-match press conference, Klopp discussed City’s altered fixture scheduled earlier in the season when they had their match with Everton postponed due to a virus outbreak within Guardiola’s squad.
Klopp’s description of the gap in fixtures as a ‘Covid break’ has angered Guardiola, who has promised to confront the Reds manager prior to the clash at Anfield.
Speaking in his own press conference (via Manchester Evening News), the Manchester City manager said: ”I’m surprised. I thought Jurgen was not that type of manager like other ones who usually do it. I didn’t expect it. Maybe it was a misunderstanding from him. Maybe if he saw the calendar again he would realise it was not two weeks – it was two months.”
The 50-year-old added that he didn’t believe Klopp was ‘that type of guy’ when hitting out at the Liverpool manager over his remarks.
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Despite the two clubs going hell for leather at one another for some time at the summit of the Premier League, there has been little in the way of animosity between the two well-respected managers, perhaps until now.
In truth, however, Klopp’s choice of words are potentially more in question than any meaning behind them on this occasion, as it’s highly unlikely the Liverpool man was proclaiming that City are top of the league solely becase of their rearranged schedule.
A little fuel has been added to the fire in the shape of a managerial war of words ahead of what looks on paper to be almost a win-or-bust match for the Reds’ title hopes, and that should do no harm whatsoever.
