Pep Guardiola's football is 'clearer' than 'father' Jurgen Klopp's as Ilkay Gundogan gives 'honest' answer when picking between his two favourite managers

Gundogan, one of a select group of players to have been instrumental for both Klopp and Guardiola, has offered a definitive verdict on whose footballing philosophy resonates with him more. In a detailed interview with The Athletic, the Galatasaray midfielder, who won league titles under both iconic managers, explained that while he holds deep affection for Klopp, the tactical clarity of the Manchester City coach's possession-based game is more aligned with his own understanding of football. Gundogan stands as arguably the most significant player to have starred for both managers, making his perspective on the generation-defining rivalry particularly insightful.

When faced with the choice between the two managers who shaped his career, Gundogan did not shy away from a difficult answer. Having played 118 games for Klopp's Borussia Dortmund and a remarkable 358 under Guardiola at City, he is uniquely qualified to compare their methods. Despite the profound personal connection he shares with Klopp, the tactical intricacies of Guardiola's system ultimately won out.

"I need to be honest and answer Pep because of what we achieved together, the dominance," Gundogan explained. "We had enormous success at Dortmund and I loved the type of football. I appreciate Jurgen so much as a manager and human being. Every time we saw each other, even with Liverpool, we hugged strongly like a father and son. Both had a big influence on the way I turned out, but with Pep I feel the tactical point of view, the possession game, is a bit clearer to me than transitional football.”

This verdict comes from a player who was at the heart of both the Dortmund-Bayern Munich and Liverpool-Manchester City rivalries, a head-to-head managerial duel that saw Klopp win 12 times to Guardiola's 11 across 30 meetings.

Reflecting on his time at Dortmund, Gundogan used vivid imagery to describe the intensity of Klopp's focus on pressing opponents. He likened the team's reaction to losing the ball to a fire alarm, a trigger for immediate and overwhelming action. This philosophy famously saw Dortmund dismantle Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid in the 2013 Champions League semi-final.

“It felt almost like we hit that button as soon as we lost the ball. We just sprinted in such an aggressive way that we overwhelmed them," he recalled. "At one point, we were just waiting to lose the ball, waiting to react. It was almost like ‘Come on, someone lose the ball, lose the ball’. The football was different. It was young, athletic, transitional, and high-intensity. A little bit like Klopp’s Liverpool everyone knows. It took time to adapt myself coming from a small club in Nurnberg, but once I got it, I got it.”

His performances during that era showcased not just relentless energy but also the technical elegance and awareness that would later attract Guardiola, with his ability to scan, turn, and dribble past elite midfielders like Xabi Alonso already evident.

In contrast to the organised chaos at Dortmund, Gundogan described his time at Manchester City under Guardiola as a masterclass in controlled, methodical dominance. He credits the success of the historic treble-winning 2022-23 side to a core principle of simplicity executed to the highest possible standard.

“I describe myself as a simple player because that is how I like to keep the game,” he said. “I feel like it’s enough to make the simple things as perfect as possible... Watch us in the treble-winning season, the build-up, and everything looks so easy, but it was simple things executed perfectly. There is no better football I can remember being played by anyone — maybe apart from the Barcelona team with (Sergio) Busquets, Xavi, [Andres] Iniesta and [Lionel] Messi — than we played that year.”

He detailed how every player understood their role implicitly, allowing the team to calmly play through high-pressing opponents. “Our strength was that everyone knew their job. It was not about anyone doing their own thing or showing off. We knew that if everyone did their job, then everyone would shine at some point.”

Gundogan's own time to shine under Guardiola saw him undergo a remarkable transformation. Initially deployed in a deeper role, where he once set a Premier League record with 167 successful passes in a game against Chelsea, he evolved into a prolific scorer. The 2020-21 season was his breakout year, scoring 17 goals while operating in a 'false 9' role.

"He spotted that I was really good at arriving at the right time. At one point, it just became automatic," Gundogan stated. This knack for late runs and clinical finishing produced some of City's most iconic moments, including a stunning volley at Everton, a match-winning brace in the FA Cup final against Manchester United, and, most famously, two crucial goals on the final day of the 2021-22 season to clinch the Premier League title against Aston Villa.

Now 34 and plying his trade with Galatasaray in Turkey, Gundogan is already planning for a life after playing, with a move into coaching a near certainty. He revealed that he has had in-depth conversations with Guardiola about his future and a potential role on a coaching staff.

“We’ve discussed it very seriously, to be honest,” Gundogan confirmed. “I really consider it and I’ve already finished my first badge. I will do the others. It feels natural to me to go into that space... I am grateful and feel lucky that I have had amazing managers in my career so far. I really feel a motivation inside myself to go ahead with that. It would be a mistake not to try.”

With a footballing education shaped by two of the modern era's greatest minds, Gundogan’s transition from an intelligent player to a thoughtful manager seems a natural and inevitable progression, potentially bringing the philosophies of both Klopp and Guardiola together in a new form on the touchline.