Man City get Liverpool approval as Pep Guardiola prediction set to become reality

It seemed quite cold last week when Pep Guardiola did not go overboard with tributes to Jurgen Klopp.

The Manchester City manager has said many kind words about his Liverpool counterpart and did again before Sunday's game, yet when asked what would happen to Liverpool next season there was some bemusement in the answer. "Liverpool have always been Liverpool," he said, as he brushed off the idea that they would decline.

It is a tough ask for a manager to follow Klopp just as it will be for Guardiola at City, as shown by the performances both men got out of their players at Anfield in the entertaining 1-1 draw. However, neither club has been built on the cult of the manager and so as difficult as it may be when they leave there should be enough foundations in place for continued growth.

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That was hammered home by Liverpool on Tuesday with the announcement that Michael Edwards would be returning as 'CEO of Football'. The job title may feel like something Todd Boehly or Tom Wambsgans might have thought up, but Edwards himself is credited as being the mastermind of previous successes that can offset the departure of Klopp.

If that backs Guardiola's prediction up, the reasons for Edwards returning will certainly make for interesting reading at the Etihad. "One of the biggest factors in my decision is the commitment to acquire and oversee an additional club, growing this area of their organisation," the Liverpool supremo said. "I believe that to remain competitive, investment and expansion of the current football portfolio is necessary."

Multi-club ownership was not only one