by Adam Millington

MUTUAL respect was the theme as Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp spoke to the press before their crucial Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon.

With Manchester City topping the table but Liverpool only one point behind, this great modern footballing rivalry will etch another note in its history, with the winner securing the advantage in the title race.

But this is a rivalry like few others, and it’s viewed through a lens of respect for footballing greatness rather than the animosity usually found surrounding games of such a stature.

The German said that “Pep is the best coach in the world and we all would agree on that. If anybody doubts him, I have no idea how that could happen.”

And Guardiola, speaking later in the day, added: “Jurgen makes world football a better place to live.”

The extent of this rivalry has been the cause of much debate, with most people admitting that it isn’t difficult to truly regard this as one, but it’s a rivalry of a different kind to any others.

There aren’t the heated clashes a la Manchester United and Arsenal of old. There isn’t even any real hatred between supporters. There is little around the atmosphere of this game which feels like a rivalry, but it’s still regarded as one.

In fact, it’s more of a competitive challenge than a rivalry. These teams battle with each other, but it’s not for the sake of getting one over the other; it’s because they want to be successful themselves.

At the end of the day, that’s what these games are about. It’s about marvelling at 22 sets of born winners fighting and only half of them being able to leave with three points.

Guardiola acknowledged that fact, talking about how these teams need each other to be able to produce the quality they do. It’s a special sort of symbiotic relationship where they are reliant on the prowess of one another to succeed.

“When I retire and watch and play golf I remember here the biggest rivalry was Liverpool,” he said. “When you achieve 100pts and 98 points you need someone to push from behind to be so close.”

Apart from the absence of Ruben Dias for the blues, both teams will have full squads to pick from in an attempt to win the most important game of their respective seasons. City had the advantage, but Liverpool have clawed their way back and finally have the chance to leapfrog the blues.

While Guardiola and Klopp have been in the league, they’ve won four of the five available Premier League titles – and all in the past four years. They’ve exerted a rarely parallelled sort of dominance over the division and left the rest of the top clubs in their shadow.

City have won three of those past four, Liverpool one. Going into title battle number five, this is the opportunity for the Merseyside club to finally lay their hands on their second Premier League title, but City are as tough as an opponent can possibly be.

Managers will say that they take everything one game at a time, but this entire campaign will likely be settled in 90 minutes on Sunday. It’s quite literally winner takes all and for neutrals, you can’t help but marvel at what this era has brought to the division.

Both teams play beautiful football, both have transformed the game. Go to a park on a Sunday morning and you’ll see amateurs playing out from the back or overlapping their fullbacks. That’s what this rivalry has done – it’s not just been about these two teams, but changing English football forever.