Pep Guardiola thanked Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for inspiring him to become a better manager and earn more success at Manchester City.
The managers have battled for supremacy first in the Bundesliga and now the Premier League over the past decade, and this season the City boss has given an emphatic response to those questioning whether he could achieve success again having been bested by his rival last year.
Despite the rivalry between their teams the two coaches have great respect for each other and Klopp sent a message of congratulations to Guardiola and his former player Ilkay Gundogan when City's Premier League win was confirmed on Tuesday night.
While Guardiola has not had time to respond to the messages he has received over the past few days as impromptu celebrations at the training ground on Tuesday have been followed by preparing for Newcastle, the City manager spoke of how Klopp's teams at Dortmund and Liverpool have forced him to think more about the game and ultimately become a better manager.
"I appreciate it a lot, him and Carlo Ancelotti have done it and I appreciate both of them," he said of the congratulations he has received.
"I could not answer messages but I will do today. I admire both of them. [Klopp] was an inspiration for me, he made me through his teams - Dortmund and Liverpool - a better manager. He made me think a lot about games and opponents. Thank you so much and I appreciate it a lot."
