Ex-Liverpool icon Hamann backs Klopp: 'I don't get the Guardiola hype'

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at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday in what is largely seen as a championship clincher, with Klopp's team closing the gap on the leads to just one point after a 10-game winning streak. 

There are fights to be fought all over the pitch in Manchester, whether it's Trent Alexander-Arnold vs. Joao Cancelo, Alisson vs. Ederson, or Mohamed Salah vs. Kevin De Bruyne. 

But there will be plenty of attention on the pitch, as Guardiola takes on Klopp, an old opponent who has beaten the former Bayern Munich coach more times than any other manager in all competitions (eight).

In his coaching career, the German strategist has only lost as many games to Felix Magath (8) as he has against Guardiola (8), yet Hamann has backed the Liverpool manager wholeheartedly. 

"When Klopp arrived at Anfield in 2015 and Guardiola at City a year later, the

was hugely competitive and hard to win," he wrote in his Daily Mail column. 

"In just a few years they have turned it into a two-horse race. I simply wouldn't have thought it was possible for two teams to dominate the Premier League in the way they have.

"But there are three current managers who I regard as more successful than Guardiola and I still don't really get the hype that surrounds him.

"Jose Mourinho has won league titles in four different countries and the

with two clubs, while Carlo Ancelotti's record is second to none and about to get better if Real Madrid can win

.

"And the third manager? For me, it's Jurgen Klopp. What he has achieved on the budgets he has at Liverpool is remarkable. He is a truly exceptional manager. His great skill is in integrating players which is a talent Guardiola doesn't possess in quite the same way."

The Cityzens has a league-high 516 points since Guardiola arrived in England at the start of the 2016-17 season, while Liverpool is close behind with 488 points. With 427 points, Chelsea is in third place on the list. 

However, Hamann, who has played for both Liverpool and City, feels Klopp has the edge over Guardiola because of how he adjusts to new players like Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.

"When Klopp signed Diogo Jota last season everyone questioned whether he would get anywhere near the team, but he was immediately involved," he continued. "It's been exactly the same with Luis Diaz.

"In fact, compare the case of Diaz to Jack Grealish and it goes some way to showing the difference between the managers.

"We've seen players come into the Premier League and you often need six to eight weeks to adjust because it's a unique game. Diaz came in and he fired immediately because the style suits him.

"Look on the other side, you've got Grealish, who cost three times as much yet is struggling to make any sort of an impact. He's a £100million player yet he still isn't fully integrated.

"The way Liverpool players speak about their manager, they would run through brick walls for him. I'm not sure City's players would do the same.

"You look at all the teams around Europe and I think Liverpool are the pick of the lot. And I wouldn't swap this manager for any other. Including Guardiola."

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