Jurgen Klopp maintains respect for Pep Guardiola after Man City guilty verdict

Jurgen Klopp says his respect for Pep Guardiola remains intact despite Manchester City being found guilty of serious breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules.

The former Liverpool manager was Guardiola’s principal domestic rival for much of his time at Anfield, with their teams producing several closely fought title races.

Liverpool finished one point behind City in both 2018/19 and 2021/22, while Klopp guided them to the Premier League title in 2019/20.

The Premier League announced on Tuesday that an independent commission had found City guilty of all charges concerning serious financial breaches across nine seasons.

The commission concluded that City used ‘sham’ commercial arrangements to inflate revenue and reduce costs.

The club were also found guilty of three of four categories concerning failures to cooperate with the investigation.

City continue to deny wrongdoing and intend to appeal, with sanctions yet to be determined.

Klopp previously joked that he would attend a parade if Liverpool were retrospectively awarded additional titles, but he has now distanced himself from that suggestion.

“I also know what I said about it in the past and how if there’s ever a parade I’ll be there,” Klopp said. “But it doesn’t feel like that anymore.”

Klopp stressed that the findings had not altered his view of Guardiola or the quality of the teams Liverpool faced.

“My respect for Pep Guardiola and the football played at City during the time we played against each other is far too great for me to be able to say anything now,” he added.

The 59-year-old also insisted he does not need retrospective recognition to change how he views Liverpool’s achievements during his nine-year spell at Anfield.

He said he remains ‘completely fine’ with what Liverpool achieved and believes the rivalry should still be remembered for what happened on the pitch.

Any potential impact on historical titles remains uncertain, with the commission yet to impose sanctions and City preparing to challenge its findings.

Klopp’s immediate concern is Germany, where he is still seeking his first victory since becoming national team manager in July.

Germany face Serbia in the Nations League tomorrow before travelling to Greece for their final match of the international break.