Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have transformed English football, admits Gary Lineker
Former Leicester City striker Gary Lineker has revealed that together both Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have changed English football for the better. The two men are arguably the best managers in the world and are in charge of the two best Premier League sides in a headlock for the title.
However, while they may have slowly transformed themselves into rivals over the last few years, this season various factors have seen Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side peel away from the rest. They stand alone in their quest to end their Premier League title drought with sixteen points separating them and Manchester City in second place.
It bears a striking resemblance to what Manchester City did not three seasons ago when Pep Guardiola and his side became the first English club to accumulate a 100 plus points. While it has seen the league come under heavy criticism for other reasons, Lineker went on to reveal that together the two men have effectively changed football in England. The 59-year-old also added that they’re two different managers with two different styles which makes it even better to watch.
“We’re seeing football that’s unprecedented for a variety of reasons but, obviously, there’s the influence of Pep and of Klopp. They’re contrasting, but they’re both exhilarating. They are certainly in the top five coaches, perhaps even the top two, in world football. Their different styles add to the rivalry. I love them both but Klopp’s probably more engaging. You can see Pep’s pretty intense in his post-match interviews. He’s hard work whereas Klopp can always put it on. I guess we’ve seen Pep’s dark side,” Lineker told the Guardian.
Yet while Liverpool and Manchester City continue to dominate the league, everyone else is struggling to make an impact with Arsenal, Tottenham and Manchester United all failing to make the most of their chances. Even Chelsea have struggled over the last few months but Lineker further added that football’s a cyclical game and that was always going to happen.
“People go: ‘What’s happened to Man United?’ But football’s cyclical and it was always going to be very difficult for United after Fergie. It’s the same at Arsenal. Soon as you lose such a massive personality, who was so dominant in running the club, it’s going to take an era, a decade or so, to turn it right. Football fans are not patient. But when it gets better again, it’ll actually be good. It’s sometimes good to suffer to savour the best moments,” Lineker added.