Former Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is backing Jurgen Klopp to beat Pep Guardiola to the Premier League –after hailing the Liverpool boss as a superior coach to his Manchester City rival.

Van Gaal, 67, reckons the Reds will take the title off the ­champions, despite seeing their lead at the top slashed to four points by the 2-1 defeat at the Etihad on Thursday night.

The Dutchman believes City possess better players – but insists that Klopp is giving Guardiola a masterclass in coaching.

Van Gaal is a seven-time title winner in Holland, Spain and Germany, who bossed United to fourth and fifth-placed finishes in his two ­seasons at Old Trafford.

He said: “Klopp has turned Liverpool into an ­absolute fighting machine – both ­attacking and defending.

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“So, if I was to put my money on one club for the league, it would be Liverpool.

“Liverpool’s team is not based on the highest quality when it comes to their players. In fact, the highest quality players are at City.

“But, at the same time, that is the ­weakness in ­Guardiola. He only coaches his teams in an attacking way. ­Always.

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“The moment his team have to defend, they look terrible. ­Liverpool have a team that can defend much better.

“That’s because Klopp has trained them to be a fighting force, whether they have the ball or not. That’s exactly what is lacking in Guardiola’s team now.

“City have fabulous football ideas and a sparkling way of playing – but not the right ­fighting spirit.

“Don’t get me wrong, I still love to watch the way City play. But the way Klopp makes Liverpool play is absolutely fantastic.”

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City blew the title race wide open by ending Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the season.

And now the Merseysiders face the first test of their ­resolve, with a trip to Wolves in the FA Cup tomorrow, ­followed by a Premier League visit to Brighton next ­weekend.

City have home games against Rotherham and ­Burton in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup semi-finals, ­respectively, before resuming their title defence against Wolves at the Etihad on ­Monday week.

But Van Gaal felt the thrill-a-minute clash at the Etihad illustrated the strengths of Klopp’s team and the ­weaknesses that Guardiola has to address.

(Image: Man City via Getty Images)

He said: “The match proved to me that City cannot defend.

“When Liverpool equalised, there were enough City ­defenders around the box to prevent it.

“But most of the time, in the Premier League, City don’t have to defend because they outplay most opponents.

“When they face a strong side like Liverpool, you can see that the City players are not able to defend properly. They look erratic.

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“Liverpool deserve applause because most teams cannot force Man City into a situation where they have to defend.

“Liverpool did push them at one point in the second half and then we could see that City were in trouble. Just look at Roberto ­Firmino, he hardly touched the ball, but his amount of running for the team was ­incredible.

“Klopp also has Sadio Mane and even Mo Salah running their socks off in all matches.

“Those three help the others to defend and they also have the energy to counter-attack and create things when they win the ball back.

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“Having said that, I am glad that City beat ­Liverpool ­because it has made this title race even more ­sensational.

“The excitement is huge right now. Three teams can still become champions – because we can’t rule ­Tottenham out.

“But, if you ask me which of the title chasers has the best team, I will say Klopp.

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“Liverpool’s players have a bigger desire to win the title and that will help them win the league. For me, ­Liverpool just want it more than the Man City players.”