Jurgen Klopp is preparing to wave goodbye to Liverpool this summer as The Reds compete with Manchester City and Arsenal for the Premier League title this season.
Gary Lineker reckons Pep Guardiola might opt to follow Jurgen Klopp in leaving over the next two or three years, despite ongoing dominance at the Etihad Stadium and beyond.
Treble-winning Manchester City are once again in the mix for three trophies this season, including, potentially, a fourth-straight Premier League. Guardiola was appointed by City in 2016, and the innovative Catalan has cleaned up in terms of trophies.
However, as Liverpool prepare to wave goodbye to Klopp this summer, how much longer Guardiola will last in such a position under similar pressure and intensity has come under the microscope, with Lineker having his say. The former England striker chatted with City icon Micah Richards about Guardiola and Klopp on the latest episode of their ever-popular Rest Is Football podcast.
It started with a discussion about Liverpool as Lineker namedropped Guardiola in making his point about success coupled with longevity. He said: “It’s impossible, really, to have continued success decade after decade. It’s so hard to do that.
“Even if I was interested in management, I would not want the job after Klopp. I’d want it the one after that.
“I think the same will happen with Pep [Guardiola] as well. It’s going to be very difficult for Liverpool and Man City post-eras… When you have got a personality that is so dominant at a football club, for so long, everything is about what he does, his staff, his manner, [how] the whole club is run.
“You could say the same about Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, or Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Both those clubs, when they left, had periods of real difficulty and it’s going to be a challenge for whoever comes in and, also, the same for Manchester City when Pep goes.
“I would be surprised if he does more than another two or three years. The intensity of it all – you could see Klopp needed a rest – but the next appointment is going to be so hard to follow in those footsteps.”
