Marcelo Bielsa believes Jurgen Klopp 's style of play at Liverpool is easier to understand than Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola 's.
The Leeds United manager reckons Guardiola is not someone to "interpret" but rather "enjoy" compared to Klopp, who he sees as much more accessible from a tactical standpoint.
Bielsa has himself inspired countless coaches across the globe and his philosophy is one which has been studied in depth by the likes of the City boss - but he admits Guardiola's approach is beyond even his comprehension.
Speaking to DAZN, via the Yorkshire Evening Post, the enigmatic Argentine explained: "Success produces the desire to imitate and here there have been very successful coaches who have generated the desire to reproduce in other teams the procedure that allowed Guardiola, Klopp [to win] the league.
"Guardiola is not someone to interpret, he is someone to enjoy. When you see what he does, you enjoy it.
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"And if one wants to reproduce what he does, it is very difficult because to reproduce what he does forces us to an interpretation and I have the feeling that Guardiola's intellectual construction is not accessible, at least to me."
So, what of Klopp?
Despite his trophy cabinet paling in comparison to the Guardiola's, the German has lifted the Premier League title and won the Champions League in his six years at Liverpool, backed with significantly less resources.
And on top of that, he led Bourssia Dortmund to back-to-back Bundesliga titles in 2011 and 2012, having famously achieved promotion with first employers Mainz in 2004.
"From my point of view Klopp is a coach with his own stamp and also his game is very attractive, but he is more accessible to be decoded," Bielsa continued.
"The enthusiasm that Klopp transmits is a very clear sign of his teams, and building resources to drive creative play is what sets Guardiola apart, from my point of view."
Barring the occasional war of words in press conferences, Klopp and the Spaniard have shared a mutual respect down the years, having faced one another for two seasons in Germany before they each made the move to England.
Guardiola has credited his rival for making him a better coach and said before their sides' thrilling 2-2 draw in October: "He helped me, his teams helped me to be a better manager.
"He gave me another level to think about it, prove myself, what I have to do to be a better manager with our teams to try and beat them. It’s the reason why I’m still in this business.
"There are some managers, Jürgen is one, to challenge you to move a step forward… Here we have many years, many competitions together.
"Every game was nice, both teams have the same idea, go to score goals in different ways; quicker than us, but in the same way to win the games."
Meanwhile, Klopp returned the compliment by naming him as the greatest manager still in the game, adding: "I was never interested in being the best coach in the world."
"For me, Pep is. Even I don't know if that's the truth but he is really difficult to play against."
