Pep Guardiola has admitted he has 'learned a lot' as a manager as result of his managerial battles with Jurgen Klopp over the years.
The pair have previously faced of against each other in the Bundesliga when in charge of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund respectively and were reunited following Guardiola's arrival at City ahead of the 2016/17 season. Facing off a total of 22 times, Klopp and Guardiola have each won on nine occasions, drawing the remaining four fixtures.
Involved in some of the highest quality matches the Premier League has seen, the two coaches have always shared a mutual respect despite battling for the biggest prizes. As a result of going toe-to-toe in matches of such importance, the Sky Blues' boss is of the view that Klopp has helped to aid his development.
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"I should be there to know him better. I'm not there so I don't know but, from what I see, there are many things that I am close to," said Guardiola when comparing himself to the Reds' manager. "We are quite similar in many things, but in the final third they are more 'wow!'
"Of course I have learned a lot but, not just from Jurgen, from every manager that I see in the Premier League. I am curious to see with opponents what they do and this is the reason why I am a manager. I feel I am a better manager now compared to when I started because I learned from my opponents."
As well as being full of praise for Klopp, the 51-year-old is also a big admirer of both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Both City and Liverpool operate a playing system which sees their full-backs heavily involved and influential in the final third, and Guardiola believes those taking to the field of play in this position on Sunday can all be considered 'exceptional' players.
"Today the position of full-backs is more important in the way teams play," he said. "When you play narrow and deep, the spaces are there. The four full-backs on Sunday are exceptional, you are right."
