Jurgen Klopp vs Pep Guardiola: An engrossing rivalry like no other

Jurgen Klopp perhaps said it best when he described choosing between his brand of football and that of enduring rival Pep Guardiola as ‘a question of taste’.

Football teams have long been built in their manager’s image, tending to become a product of one individual’s experiences not only as a player and coach but, most importantly, as a person.

And, when it comes to Klopp and Guardiola, the differences between the two men’s personalities and their paths to the summit of European football have been writ large across their many titanic tussles down the years.

For Guardiola, the journey to this point began at Barcelona’s famed La Masia academy and featured a formative spell at the heart of Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’. Already a deep thinker by nature, it is no surprise that he has since prized the cerebral, possession-based football arguably seen in its purest form during his time at Manchester City.

By contrast, Klopp’s playing career was defined by the fact he was a self-confessed ‘average’ player whose employment was consistently precarious as a result. As such, personal bonds and the emotion of football have defined him as a manager, even if he is by no means a slouch in terms of the tactical elements of the game.

Still, regardless of their source, the true beauty of these idiosyncrasies is that they have resulted in the creation of football teams whose characteristics also contrast vividly. 

Ultimately, when one side is always looking for control and the other simply wishes to embrace the chaos, the result tends to be an unforgettable game.

Fortunately for observers the thrill of this clash of styles has managed to persist across the 11 years since it was first witnessed in Germany largely thanks to both managers’