Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola will go down as two of the very best managers, with their rivalry hailed as "incredible" by Albert Riera.
Guardiola's Manchester City lead the way by a point in the Premier League after their draw with Klopp's Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
It was a repeat of the scoreline from the reverse fixture earlier this season, and is the first time since 2012-13 that they have shared two draws in one league campaign.
A topsy turvy match saw Diogo Jota hit back for Liverpool after Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring, with Sadio Mane cancelling out Gabriel Jesus' strike.
The teams will meet again in the FA Cup semi-finals and Riera, who played for both clubs, is fascinated by the rivalry and the skills of both managers.
"If I ask you what you consider playing well, one coach will answer one way and another in another way," Riera told Stats Perform.
"One may say that if he wins, he plays well. Another will tell you to start from behind and reach the striker without the opponent touching the ball, but if you lose, that is not valid either.
"This is the beauty of football, if there was a system that guarantees us to win, we would all play the same.
"They are obviously two of the best and [two of] those who motivate you. I like to see how they work."
He added: "For the spectators and those of us who watch it from the outside, it's incredible to be able to see a game like this.
"I think we all know the way City play, wanting to defend with possession of the ball and even against an aggressive team like Liverpool who want to get the ball back, but this time it cost them, because City want it at all costs.
"On the other hand, Liverpool's transitions are spectacular. You can't see many teams where the two full-backs reach the attack, that's something very difficult to see."
Riera also believes that, with City and Liverpool acting as the driving forces in recent seasons, the Premier League is the most intense competition in world football.
"At the rhythm level, the Premier League is unmatched with other leagues," Riera continued. "In England, the 90 or 95 minutes that the game lasts is [played] at full speed.
"Obviously Liverpool and Manchester City are at an impressive level, and it is difficult to see that Brentford or Burnley can beat them. But I have the memory that anyone can beat anyone [in the Premier League] because they are not afraid, and they go out on the field to attack.
"This is the most beautiful [league]."
Liverpool are now winless in five league matches against City (three draws, two defeats), but are bidding to reach a first FA Cup final since 2012 when they go head-to-head again on Saturday.
Liverpool handed double injury boost ahead of Man City clash
Liverpool have been handed a fitness boost ahead of their crunch Premier League clash against Manchester City with Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez returning to training.
Jurgen Klopp's side make the short trip to Manchester to tackle the defending champions on Saturday when league action resumes following the international break.
The Reds have their eyes firmly set on the hunt for a top-four finish, sitting seven points behind Tottenham but holding two games in hand over their managerless rivals.
City will certainly present a stern test but the return of Diaz, who has been out of action since suffering a knee injury during the loss to Arsenal in October, provides a timely boost.
Whether the Colombia international will be fit enough to tackle City remains to be seen, though Nunez's involvement adds a further boost to the squad.
Withdrawing from international duty with Uruguay after suffering an ankle injury during the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid earlier this month, Nunez's involvement suggests his return is also right around the corner.
Man Utd back-up goalkeeper Heaton out 'for several matches'
Manchester United back-up goalkeeper Tom Heaton has been ruled out until mid-April with an ankle injury.
The 36-year-old has featured twice for United this season, keeping clean sheets in the EFL Cup wins over Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest.
However, Heaton was not part of Erik ten Hag's squad for the dramatic 3-1 FA Cup victory against Fulham prior to the international break after sustaining an injury in training.
And a club statement confirmed on Thursday the three-cap England international will miss "several of United's upcoming matches".
"Unfortunately, the day before the Fulham game I rolled my ankle in training," Heaton said.
"Thankfully, it's not too bad but it'll mean a couple of weeks out. I should be back some point in April, hopefully halfway through.
"It's an occupational hazard unfortunately, a bit of a random one. I just went over on the ankle and nicked the ligament."
January recruit Jack Butland will now provide competition for first-choice keeper David de Gea, who has played the full 90 minutes in 42 of United's 46 games this season.
No human rights abusers, tax evaders, fraudsters: Premier League sets new rules to vet club owners and directors
The Premier League will be entitled to disqualify club owners and directors for human rights abuses, under new rules revealed on Thursday.
That was one of the outcomes of a shareholders' meeting as the league tightened up restrictions on who should be allowed to own and govern its clubs.
It was announced there would be increased clarity and transparency regarding due diligence carried out in the case of takeovers, as well as annual checks to determine directors remained compliant.
The owners' and directors' test (OADT) has faced plenty of scrutiny, mainly but not exclusively relating to the influx of money pouring into the league from overseas, with huge investments in Premier League clubs coming largely from the United States and the Middle East.
This update coincides with Manchester United, the Premier League's most successful club, being targeted for a possible takeover by wealthy prospective buyers from various quarters of the globe.
The league said it had carried out a thorough review and stated clubs agreed the changes should take effect immediately, with all decisions to be reviewed by an independent panel.
It said the threshold to determine who held control of a club would be lowered from a 30 per cent to 25 per cent stake, while chief executives would be among those coming "within the scope of the OADT".
Along with human rights abuses, which the league said would be based on the UK government's Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, it was decided that a situation where a person or company is subject to government sanctions would qualify as a disqualifying event.
The Premier League disqualified Roman Abramovich as owner of Chelsea in March of last year, soon after government sanctions were imposed on the oligarch following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It led to the club being sold to a consortium led by American Todd Boehly.
Anyone convicted of violence, corruption, fraud, tax evasion and hate crimes also faces the prospect of disqualification under the new guidance, and anyone under investigation for a potentially disqualifying event would also risk being prevented from becoming a club director.
Amid a number of further disqualifying circumstances, it was also decided the Premier League should clearly disclose who has been disqualified, as well as compiling an annual 'report of compliance'.
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