Jürgen Klopp: English Premier League is the challenge Pep Guardiola wants

Jürgen Klopp says Pep Guardiola will face challenges in the English Premier League that he did not face with Barcelona or Bayern Munich. The former coach of rival Borussia Dortmund discussed Guardiola's future with Manchester City in the EPL in a new interview with the Guardian.

Klopp had high praise for Guardiola after it was officially announced that he would be joining Manchester City. Besides an outstanding coach, Klopp called him a "really nice guy, really smart" and wished him "the best of luck."

Asked about Guardiola's prospects in the EPL, Klopp was cautious. While, in Klopp's words, "Manchester City is a club with not-too-bad possibilities on the financial side, shall we say, and Pep Guardiola is a really smart person," Klopp also feels that the EPL will present Guardiola with competition he has not faced in the past - but he also feels that is exactly what Guardiola wants.

Dismissing rumors that Guardiola chose Manchester City "because of his friendship with a few people there," Klopp stated that "[Guardiola] will enjoy the league because it is a great league and a real competition and he is a real competitor. That is what he wants. I don't think it will be the same situation as he had in Spain, with Barcelona on the top level, or in Germany with Bayern on the top level."

Klopp himself has certainly experienced fierce competition since moving from Borussia Dortmund to Liverpool: after 24 games, Liverpool currently is in 8th place with a record of 9 wins, 7 draws, and 8 losses. It will be interesting to see how Manchester City reacts if Pep Guardiola likewise does not bring them the same dominance he has enjoyed with Barcelona and Bayern.