Pep Guardiola makes Liverpool prediction for life after Jurgen Klopp

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has offered his own opinion on what life will look like for him and the Premier League following Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool exit.

The iconic German coach announced last month that he would be bringing an end to his illustrious time with the Anfield club at the end of this season, leaving Liverpool with a challenging search for a capable successor.

Jurgen Klopp’s time with Liverpool has seen the former Borussia Dortmund coach win everything available to the Merseyside squad, and in-turn develop a staggering rivalry with Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.

The pair have gone head-to-head on multiple occasions for the Premier League title, and appear destined for a hotly-contested business end of the ongoing campaign, alongside rivalry from Mikel Arteta and his ambitious Arsenal team.

But just what life could look like for Liverpool, and to some extent Manchester City, following Klopp’s exit at the end of the season remains to be seen, amid an ongoing search for his replacement.

Speaking to the media ahead of Manchester City’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Luton Town on Tuesday night, Pep Guardiola made a staggering prediction with regards to how the English top-flight could look without his iconic Liverpool counterpart.

“No,” Guardiola bluntly responded when asked whether life for him and Manchester City could be easier without the challenge from Jurgen Klopp. “Of course, Liverpool will hire – I’m pretty sure – a good manager, but lose an exceptional manager.

“The influence in Liverpool’s organisation and on the team is obvious, it’s there. But I see Arsenal, and I see what is going to happen with (Manchester) United, and Tottenham will be stronger, Aston Villa, look what happened in Newcastle and next season will be better because they will learn about what happened and what it means to play every three days during 11 months,” Guardiola continued.

“They were not used to it in the past, it’s the first time, and you have to earn this experience and the decision making. So absolutely not will it be (easier). Every season is tough, and I think next season will be tougher.”

At present, the likes of Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi, Sporting’s Ruben Amorim, and Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso have been linked with various levels of interest from within Anfield, however Liverpool are certainly no closer to finalising plans beyond the end of this season.

Pep Guardiola’s own contract expires at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, and while some supporters may want the situation resolving soon, there is a feeling of calm from within the Etihad Stadium offices around the future of their manager.

Some will note that Guardiola’s most recent contract extension was resolved within a short period during the Treble-winning campaign of 2022/23, with the City boss having visited Abu Dhabi to thrash out terms with the club’s hierarchy including chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.