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PEP GUARDIOLA ADMITS JURGEN KLOPP RIVALRY LEFT A VOID: ‘I MISS HIM’

Pep Guardiola marks his 1,000th managerial game against Liverpool, the "perfect" rival. The Man City boss admits he misses his old foe Jurgen Klopp, crediting their rivalry for pushing him to new heights.

Pep Guardiola Admits  Jurgen Klopp Rivalry Left a Void: ‘I Miss Him’
Pep’s Heartfelt Words on His Old Rival - (Image: Getty Images)

In the 1,000th game of his managerial career, Pep Guardiola acknowledges that he misses Jurgen Klopp as he gets ready to play his fiercest rival's former team.

But as he approaches four figures with a visit from the Premier League's defending champions on Sunday, the Manchester City manager believes there can be no more appropriate opponent than Liverpool.

Before Klopp left the Anfield hotseat last year, Guardiola enjoyed several title battles with the German manager.

The Spaniard considers those fights to be among the high points of his illustrious career, which has included trophy-filled nine years at City, as well as successful stints at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

"If I were to pick one rival for this personal milestone, that I want to share with many others, they would be the best," stated Guardiola, the six-time Premier League champion and Champions League champion with City.

"I have been in this country longer than ever before. Naturally, Barcelona had a huge influence on my life as a ballboy, football player, manager, and so on, and Bayern was also a fantastic move.

However, Liverpool—especially with Jurgen—has been this nation's fiercest foe, and to be honest, it could not be better. That is what fate decreed, and it is good to live with it.

"I believe we respected one another, whether it was on Pep's or Jurgen's side. I felt that Jurgen was a big part of my life, and I miss him.

"I learned a lot from him, including how much I need to think, work, and do to improve it to defeat that guy."

In the 999 games he has managed since taking over Barcelona B in 2007, Guardiola has won 715 of them.

At a press conference on Friday, Guardiola declared, "The numbers are outrageous." "I do not care how many, but when you reach a milestone and see your accomplishments, including your averages and victories outside of the Premier League and Champions League,

"In Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and here, we have accomplished amazing feats. It is really hard to get there.

"I would not make it if I started over. There are too many games, not enough losses, and perhaps we can carry on on Sunday.

Guardiola acknowledges that without having some excellent players at his disposal, he would not have had the success he has.

"I have said that a thousand million times," he said. Although it appears to be fake humility, it is the truth.

"How does it happen that this percentage surpasses 70% of victories? Because you are with the players I had in Barcelona, Munich, and Manchester City, it is possible. No more secrets.

"After that, it takes a lot of hard work—a lot of love, passion, devotion, and tenacity that no one can beat me."

Before answering more humbly, Guardiola joked that those who say he is the greatest of all time are "absolutely right."

"I never began to think I want to be the best," he stated. I do not mind losing.

VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE

Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.

top-news
Antoine Semenyo’s clumsy challenge handed Chelsea a vital lifeline

Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.

This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.

What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.

VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."

VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.

At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.

Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.

The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.

Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.

A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.

Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth

Referee: Sam Barrott

VAR: Craig Pawson

What: VAR check for a foul in the box

When: 11th minute

BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW

Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.

top-news
Emery snubs Arteta's handshake

Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.

This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.

Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.

Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.

Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.

After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.

It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.

“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.

“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”

About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.

“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.

“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.

“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.

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