shevtheblue
Well-Known Member
So Simon Jordan has been on again (although i think this might be a re-purpose of his spouting off in December) about Klopp being a better manager than Pep (https://talksport.com/football/1708733/simon-jordan-jurgen-klopp-best-manager-pep-guardiola/). I tire of this drivel, it's obviously not out of the realms of possibility that Klopp is better, but the arguments are always the same: If Klopp had the same resources as Pep he would have done better but not if Pep was in Klopp's shoes.
Now i can't deny that Klopp gets the maximum out of players, just look how he managed to get Jordan Henderson into a POTY award ffs. Would he win everything with the same resources as Pep? Probably, yeah. But i think Klopp's methods are really specific, i don't think he would have had the impact on the English game like Pep has had. It's undeniable what Pep has done for the game in general, not just in UK where you see even grassroots trying to use some of his philosophy, but world football where you see teams in African nations now playing out of the back. Klopp and Liverpool did amazingly to keep up with City in those tight races, and obviously bested us as well, but it wasn't because Pep just hoovered up all the great talent (like Bayern does btw, but Klopp never mentions that).
But my main argument against what Jordan and his cronies say is, Pep turned Delph into a left back and we did 100 points, he turned a number 10 in Zinchenko, into a coveted lb who won us titles in amazing fashion. He took Rodri out of a defensive team in Spain where he was seen to have some potential but not elite, and made him into the best in his position in the world (like he did with Basquets). So is it reasonable to believe that Pep could have made VVD into the best CB in the world, Alison into the best GK in the world, Salah, Mane & Firmino into an attacking force scoring goals at will? What do you fucking think?!
Now i can't deny that Klopp gets the maximum out of players, just look how he managed to get Jordan Henderson into a POTY award ffs. Would he win everything with the same resources as Pep? Probably, yeah. But i think Klopp's methods are really specific, i don't think he would have had the impact on the English game like Pep has had. It's undeniable what Pep has done for the game in general, not just in UK where you see even grassroots trying to use some of his philosophy, but world football where you see teams in African nations now playing out of the back. Klopp and Liverpool did amazingly to keep up with City in those tight races, and obviously bested us as well, but it wasn't because Pep just hoovered up all the great talent (like Bayern does btw, but Klopp never mentions that).
But my main argument against what Jordan and his cronies say is, Pep turned Delph into a left back and we did 100 points, he turned a number 10 in Zinchenko, into a coveted lb who won us titles in amazing fashion. He took Rodri out of a defensive team in Spain where he was seen to have some potential but not elite, and made him into the best in his position in the world (like he did with Basquets). So is it reasonable to believe that Pep could have made VVD into the best CB in the world, Alison into the best GK in the world, Salah, Mane & Firmino into an attacking force scoring goals at will? What do you fucking think?!