Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp sees no secret to Pep Guardiola’s longevity at Manchester City as the Catalan coach “wins everything”.

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Catalan coach won the Treble last seasonUnder contract until 2025Reds boss has three years left on his dealWHAT HAPPENED?

Two of the finest tacticians in world football have been locking horns on a regular basis while calling the shots at a couple of Premier League heavyweights. Both men have enjoyed domestic title glory, while also savouring Champions League triumphs.

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Klopp has been at Anfield since October 2015, while Guardiola took the reins at the Etihad Stadium in 2016. They remain under contract in their respective roles for at least two more years and can be expected to continue challenging for the most prestigious of honours at home and abroad.

WHAT THEY SAID

Liverpool manager Klopp has told when asked if he takes inspiration from long-serving greats of the game: “I never thought I will be one of them, so I forgot to look at them. It just happened. I've only had three clubs so each club has had a different story, a different starting point. What everybody wants to see – the CEOs, the presidents of the club – is that their team is in good hands, that they see development, that it goes in the right direction. For whatever reason, I don't know exactly, I could deliver that somehow, and that's why I was allowed to work longer in clubs. With Pep it is easier to see, because he wins everything, so why would you send him on the road?”

Klopp, who worked at Mainz and Borussia Dortmund before making his way to Merseyside, added: “I never compared myself with the real greats of the business who worked for nearly 20 years or longer in big clubs. I really think it's only possible in big clubs, or you are a man of the club. In Germany we have a similar story with Christian Streich [manager of SC Freiburg since 2011, and involved in coaching at the club since 1995]. Otherwise, it's only possible in big clubs where you have success from time to time, because otherwise people want to have a change, and that's their right.”

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Klopp’s contract at Liverpool is due to run until the summer of 2026, taking him beyond a decade of service at Anfield, but he continues to be linked with the German national team post whenever that becomes available – with former Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick having recently been sacked by Die Mannschaft.