The fallout from Manchester City’s guilty verdict on the Premier League’s financial charges has produced no shortage of pointed reaction, with rival figures queuing up to demand severe punishment or to reopen old grievances. 

Arguably Guardiola’s fiercest adversary of the past decade, however, has taken a strikingly different approach.

For years, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool pushed City to the very limit in more than one unforgettable title race. Yet asked for his verdict on the ruling against the club, the German offered not criticism but respect.

Speaking about the decision earlier this week, Klopp made a point of praising the opponent who so often got the better of him.

“I can only wait and see," he said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano on X. "I have big respect for [Pep] Guardiola and [Manchester City]’s style of football.

"They played fantastic and were a top class opponent for us [Liverpool]. If any sanctions are handed out, I have nothing to do with it.”

It was a notably gracious assessment from a man whose own teams were so frequently denied by the very City side now under scrutiny, opposing quotes from figures such as ex-Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino and former Manchester United captain Roy Keane in recent days. 

The rivalry between Klopp and Guardiola was one of the defining characteristics of both men’s time in the north west of England, and matches between City and Liverpool rarely failed to deliver blockbuster action at Anfield or the Etihad Stadium.

Perhaps most tellingly, Klopp showed no appetite for the kind of retrospective punishment others have been quick to make. Where some have called for titles to be stripped and reallocated, the former Liverpool boss made clear he had made his peace with how those seasons played out.

“I’m far from preparing for a title or anything like that. I’m absolutely fine with what we achieved in Liverpool,” he added. “We fought hard on the pitch. I can’t say more about that because I don’t know details.”

The sentiment stands in sharp contrast to that held by the likes of Pochettino, who has argued this week that his former Spurs side should be awarded titles in retrospect.

Klopp’s stance carries particular weight given how much his Liverpool side had riding on those battles. The two clubs traded the Premier League crown in a golden run of seasons, with City edging several of the tightest title races in the competition’s history and Liverpool landing their own long-awaited championship along the way.

City themselves now turn to an appeal against the verdict and a separate hearing that will decide their punishment.

Klopp, long since departed from English football, clearly feels he has no stake in how that plays out. His verdict on the matter was delivered with respect for a worthy opponent, rather than excitement at the prospect of rewriting history.