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Klopp and Guardiola have vastly different exit plans at Liverpool and Man City

mirror.co.uk, 10 April 2022, 06:00
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola have both overseen impressive Premier League title wins, but the managers have said very different things about their respective futures

As Liverpool and Manchester City prepare to face off once more in what is effectively a Premier League title decider, the managers of the two sides are in very different boats.

Both men have been in the job for a similar amount of time. Jurgen Klopp began his Anfield tenure a couple of months into the 2015-16 season, beating a Manuel Pellegrini-managed City in his first trip to the Etihad Stadium as Liverpool boss. The next time he went there for a league game, Pep Guardiola was in the home dugout after taking over in the summer of 2016.

However, while they arrived at the same time, the pair have very different plans when it comes to their eventual departures. At least, if we're to believe what Klopp and Guardiola have said about the subject before.

There aren't many managers in a position to set their own departure date, but Klopp and Guardiola have earned more goodwill than most. And City's manager is in no hurry to move on.

"I'm willing to stay here forever," the Catalan said. "There cannot be a better place to be, I'd extend the contract for 10 years.

"It looks like when you praise your team, you praise yourself, but that's far away from my intention. My team, they are the best."

Will Man City beat Liverpool to the title? Have your say in the comments section

Guardiola has also been willing to give Liverpool credit for inspiring his own team to go onto bigger and better things. "We absolutely wouldn't be as good were it not for Liverpool," he said.

"After 100 points, then we got 98 and they were just behind us. When you have someone pushing you, you have to make another step.

"In the last five years, they've been the biggest opponent. Jurgen, as a manager, has been the biggest rival I've ever had in my career and I think what both teams propose is good for football."

The rivalry between Guardiola and Klopp might not go on forever, though, even if the former stays in Manchester for as long as he plans. Klopp has no desire to stay forever, and indeed he has set a date for his potential departure.

Back in 2019, Klopp suggested he would leave Anfield when his contract ran down in 2024. While a lot can change quickly in football, he reiterated that plan just this year.

"The plan is still the same," Klopp said in March. "Nothing has changed and if I decide to [leave] in 2024 it'll be nothing to do with the quality of the squad.

"All we do is for the long term. This club must be even better when I am not here anymore. That's the plan."

As 2024 draws closer, we have already seen evidence of Klopp attempting to set Liverpool up for a future without him. Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota have already begun showing their quality as successors to the likes of Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, while youngsters like Harvey Elliott and the incoming Fabio Carvalho could leave the club in good stead for plenty of time to come.

This weekend's meeting Manchester City and Liverpool stands on its own as a huge title decider. However, there's the added factor of not knowing how many more of these we will get.

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