Where does Klopp v Pep rank on a list of the greatest Premier League manager rivalries?

[adexkola]

Anyways, in terms of quality football, few rivalries have these kinds of games in recent years:

3-1 at Anfield in 2019-20
2-1 at the Etihad in 2017-18
1-4 at Anfield in 2019-20
4-3 at Anfield in 2017-18
2-2 at Anfield in 2022-23
4-1 at the Etihad in 2022-23
1-1 at the Etihad in 2023-24
1-1 at Anfield in 2023-24

Beyond the scorelines, it was fascinating to watch their styles clash and evolve in response to one another.

 

[Moby]

It's good to see some people in sport maturing enough to discard tribal notions like rivalries. Should be a thing of the past.

 

[VeevaVee]

Not enough aggro between them for me

 

[Bocca9978]

There's no rivalry between these two. They both love each other, it's disgusting. No passion or fight.

 

[Giggsy13]

Wenger vs Sir Alex still tops it. There was an actual hatred between the two and the clubs at their peak that doesn’t exist between the man crush and bromance of Pep and Klopp.

 

[thisisnottaken1]

They suck each other off too much for it to be considered a proper rivalry.

 

[Gazautd18]

Rivalry

 

[Scandi Red]

I feel that they both reached an unspoken, mutual agreement to jerk each other off in the media. It's a win-win-win situation.

1. No extra pressure for them and the players.

2. They both come across as more mature and likeable.

3. They both have an important "rival" voice constantly hyping them up and cementing their legacy.

Boring as shit though.

 

[adexkola]

This notion of a rivalry needing hatred only exists where the content on the pitch is crap and something else is needed to elevate the matches to another sphere.

If United v Liverpool wasn't a rivalry with this hatred bollocks it wouldn't be watched much, seeing most of the matches you see are dull stalemates or beatings by 1 side. When was the last time the fixture had 2 top football sides going at it, akin to the El Classicos of Messi and Ronaldo?

 

[Scandi Red]

This notion of a rivalry needing hatred

A rivalry doesn't need hatred, but it certainly elevates the experience for the spectator.

 

[adexkola]

A rivalry doesn't need hatred, but it certainly elevates the experience for the spectator.

Eh.

It's like toppings on an ice cream. Which is why Arsenal v United from '98 to '05 are in the conversation. There was the hatred and off field rah rah, but even if you remove that, the football from both sides was top notch.

 

[SER19]

Unless klopp pips them dramatically this season, nowhere really. citys recent spell of dominance is all just farcical and will hopefully be exposed as such. A blight on football in england and there are literally hundreds of pundits and analysts and journalists all lazily part of it.

 

[Scandi Red]

Eh.

It's like toppings on an ice cream. Which is why Arsenal v United from '98 to '05 are in the conversation. There was the hatred and off field rah rah, but even if you remove that, the football from both sides was top notch.

If I have to choose between good football and trash talk/mind games, then I pick the former obviously. But ideally I want both.

Pep vs Klopp is as vanilla as it gets. Actually, it's worse than that. Vanilla is an acceptable taste after all. Pep vs Klopp is just a tasteless yet sickening goo.

 

[tomaldinho1]

Not sure re 'rivalry'. City have spent double what they have and basically won the league every year bar Conte and Pool's single title. They also literally just say good stuff about each other, trying to out 'nice' each other.

City are such a unique club to judge, serial cheats and backed by a country - if Arsenal or Pool do pip them to the title it's pretty appalling when you think of the resources at each club individually.