Lewandowski picks Klopp over Guardiola as his favorite boss

Robert Lewandowski believes the human aspects of Jurgen Klopp's management style set him above Pep Guardiola.

The Polish striker worked under Klopp for four seasons at Borussia Dortmund before spending two campaigns with Guardiola at his current club, Bayern Munich.

"I think ... Jurgen Klopp (is my favorite) and after that, Pep Guardiola. 100 percent," Lewandowski said during an Instagram Live chat with ESPN when quizzed on his favorite of all the managers for whom he's played.

Klopp guided Liverpool to the Premier League title during the 2019-20 season. The Merseyside club is also the reigning European champion overcoming Tottenham Hotspur in last year's Champions League final.

Lewandowski credited Klopp's personality for his ability to draw the best out of his players.

"(Klopp) has two faces ... You can see that he is sometimes like a father, but the second part ... is like a coach, a manager," he said. "He can tell you everything - and I'm not speaking about the good things, I'm speaking about the bad things.

"And this is ... a huge motivation. He makes this perfect because ... (there's) the line, he knows where he can (push you) more or a little bit less.

"His performance as a coach is amazing, but not only as a coach but also as a man."

Lewandowski, 31, has scored 52 goals in 41 appearances across all competitions this season ahead of the second leg of Bayern's last-16 tilt with Chelsea on Saturday. The Bavarians are likely to reach the final eight in Lisbon after recording a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge in February.