Jamie Carragher has claimed that Pep Guardiola could have a rivalry with one manager in the Premier League.
Over the years, Jurgen Klopp is the only coach in England to have well and truly tested the Spaniard over a long period, as he admitted that the competition the German has provided has made him a “better manager.”
Jose Mourinho was expected to do so when he was appointed by Manchester United in 2016.
But in the 2017/2018 season, the gap between title-winners City and runners-up United was the biggest in terms of points (18) than between the two teams placed first and second in the league’s history.
Jamie Carragher says Pep Guardiola could have a “big rivalry” with one Premier League manager
Mourinho’s time at Old Trafford went from bad to worse while Guardiola ensured that the Sky Blues remained the dominant force, not just in Manchester but the entirety of the Premier League.
With Jurgen Klopp set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, the question is which manager can push the Catalan tactician?
Jamie Carragher believes that after the former Borussia Dortmund boss’ exit, Mikel Arteta could be the one to do so as his Arsenal side continue to battle Pep Guardiola and his Manchester City juggernaut going forward.
“That could be, with Jurgen Klopp going and you think of that rivalry now between the sort of the master and the apprentice in some ways, Pep [Guardiola] v [Mikel] Arteta”, he said on The Overlap’s Stick To Football.
“Good chance of getting each other in the Champions League and you think over the next two or three years, that could be the big rivalry between the two managers.”
Considering Klopp competed with Guardiola for years, Arteta could do the same and has done so for two seasons.
The question many will pose is whether the Arsenal boss could steer his side to a league title over the former Barcelona tactician’s team as the Reds manager did in 2020.
The Manchester City boss has the edge over Mikel Arteta
While not many would disagree with Jamie Carragher, especially considering how Arsenal are on the upward trajectory under Mikel Arteta, Pep Guardiola has had the edge over his former assistant.
That might continue to be the case due to the wealth of experience Guardiola has over Arteta, having managed two elite clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich before joining City.
Furthermore, Mikel Arteta’s approach to the game is quite similar to Pep Guardiola’s and where Jurgen Klopp could spring a surprise is by bringing his signature style of play to the table to destabilise Manchester City.
With that in mind, it seems like the Guardiola-Arteta rivalry could end up being quite one-sided, despite Arsenal being a top team.
