While they may not want to admit it, there’s plenty of similarities between Liverpool and Manchester City.
They both press high, they both love to pass it around, they’ve both got world-class forwards, and they’ve both got extremely dominant managers.
Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola may be opposites in many ways, but there’s no denying they also share a lot of similarities.
They are both managers who demand a lot from their players, have specific standards they expect to be met and are relentless in their pursuits of perfection.
Ilkay Gundogan knows that better than most. He worked under Klopp at Borussia Dortmund, making 177 appearances for him as they won the Bundesliga, German Cup and two German Super Cups, as well as reaching the Champions League final.
He’s now at Manchester City under Guardiola, playing a vital role under the Spaniard in City’s recent successes.
And he says he can see the similarities between the two coaches, particularly their willingness to hand out a ‘bollocking’.
“And then there are the two coaches who stand for the two different styles that are currently on the market,” he told Süddeutsche Zeitung.
“They live full intensity, are incredibly demanding; you can not switch off for a second in training. Otherwise, there’s a bollocking.
“You may be a little bit more scared of Klopp because he’s so big and loud and shows so many teeth.”
