After Jurgen Klopp delivered his bombshell, the stunning announcement that he would leave Liverpool at the end of the season, a man suddenly shorn of his nemesis got in touch. The contents of the conversation will remain confidential, the German said. Yet the lines of communication with Pep Guardiola have always remained open. Klopp had demurred when theirs was described as an epic rivalry, arguing that it was never a rivalry. Nor, he said, is it a friendship, either. But for the Premier League, accustomed to the rancorous relationships between Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, or Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho, or Wenger and Mourinho, or Antonio Conte and Mourinho, this has been something different, a duel between greats defined by respect. They form a mutual admiration society, one who may reminisce together in the future. "I don't know 100 percent if we like each other," Klopp mused. "I just know the respect is there. We have had talks. Phone calls. Stuff like that in different moments. He went through a difficult period. I went through a difficult period. On a private basis. So we had contact there. "While we are in charge of our respective clubs, why should we have a friendship or relationship? After that, if we meet and look back then there will be a lot of things we could share and that will probably happen." And yet, Klopp does not need the distance time confers to realise how remarkable their battles have been. "I know that already, I know that it's special," he said. "I know we have had lucky and unlucky moments. I am fine with it. We can't change it anymore." The broader theme has been that Klopp, a rarity in winning more games than he has lost against Guardiola, could prevail over 90 minutes, but over nine months Manchester City tended to finish above Liverpool. Guardiola is the reason why Klopp's medal collection is not more extensive. He holds the bittersweet distinction of the two highest points tallies ever secured without winning the English league title: 97 and 92. Yet there is no bitterness that Guardiola denied him. "In those years with one point behind, everybody knows on one specific moment it could have been different," Klopp added. "For me, it doesn't minimise the joy of what we did at that particular time. There is no silver medal in the Premier League or the Champions League."