Pep Guardiola labelled Jurgen Klopp an ‘inspiration’ and claimed his Liverpool rival has made him a more complete manager.
Manchester City were confirmed as Premier League champions for the third time in four seasons under Guardiola this week, celebrating with a party at the club’s training ground on Tuesday.
City fell way short of Liverpool last season but regained the crown with a stunning winning sequence over the winter months. Klopp messaged Guardiola offering his congratulations.
‘I appreciate it a lot, him and Carlo Ancelotti did it,’ Guardiola said. ‘I appreciate it from both of them. I could not answer messages yet but will do today.
‘I admire them. He [Klopp] was an inspiration for me, through his teams in Dortmund and Liverpool, he made me a better manager.
‘He made me think a lot about how to discover [more from] games and the opponents.’
Guardiola’s squad and staff gathered at the City Football Academy to toast their latest title following Leicester City’s victory at Old Trafford.
‘It was so nice, normally the unexpected parties are the nicest ones. If you organise a big one they can be boring,’ the City boss added.
‘All together we came here in our bubble, everyone is safe. We drink a bit, dance, hug, at 11.30-12 pizzas arrived and that was the best moment of the night.
‘I was not in my perfect condition to decide the best pizza. All of them were circular! In England the parties are just alcohol, not food I don’t understand why, so when the pizza arrived was the best moment.’
Guardiola sat down with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Sheikh Mansour on Wednesday and paid tribute to the trust placed in him.
‘Personally, it’s a special gratitude to Txiki [Begiristain], Ferran [Soriano], without them and especially Khaldoon it would be difficult.
‘I travelled to see Khaldoon in November, we had long discussions, he said we still have work to do. I trust him a lot, he said we’ll try again the next years.
‘Part of my happiness here is his determination. That is the big difference when I had the feelings of other clubs, I have always been supported and the manager is always supported when you have success.
‘When we didn’t win in the first season, when we lost against Lyon, the support I had from the chairman.
‘Now we have two weeks ahead for the dream come true of the Champions League and the show must go on next season.’
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