Ferdinand and Owen’s Surprise Omission: Jurgen Klopp Left Out of BT Sport Debate

In a recent BT Sport debate, football pundits Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen caused a stir by asserting that Liverpool’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, does not currently rank among the top two managers in European football. Instead, they credited Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti as the leading figures in the game, particularly highlighting their teams’ impending clash in the Champions League semi-final.

Ahead of the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ferdinand emphasized the longevity of success as the determining factor, declaring Ancelotti and Guardiola as unequivocal leaders in the managerial sphere. Surprisingly, the former Manchester United defender failed to mention Klopp when discussing other contenders, although he did make reference to Jose Mourinho.

“For me, these two are head and shoulders [above everyone else],” Ferdinand asserted. “Mourinho? He is doing a great job at Roma, but these two, for history and for now, stand alone.”

Joining the debate that dominated the pre-match discussions in the Spanish capital, Owen, who began his career at Anfield and spent eight years in Liverpool’s first team, acknowledged that a European Cup victory would further solidify Guardiola’s legacy and quell any doubts surrounding his impact at Manchester City.

“I personally think Pep [Guardiola] is the best [manager in the world],” expressed Owen. “However, I do believe he needs to win this competition with Manchester City to put the icing on the cake. Yes, he has achieved it before with great teams. He is an exceptional manager, and although it won’t change my opinion, the general public would want to see him win it with another team.”

Owen also highlighted Manchester City’s consistent dominance in Europe over the past few seasons, emphasizing that they should be on the path to securing a European title.

It is worth noting that Ancelotti bested Klopp in last season’s Champions League final in Paris, where Vinicius Jr’s second-half goal shattered Liverpool’s hopes of clinching their seventh European Cup. This triumph propelled the legendary Italian manager ahead of former Liverpool boss Bob Paisley in European football history, as Ancelotti became the first manager to win the competition on four occasions.