One moment in time: Celebrating managerial greats | OneFootball

As Pep Guardiola prepares for his 1,000th game in charge as a manager, we recall a meeting of two great football minds.

The Manchester City boss is the greatest coach of the modern era and will reach his landmark total against Liverpool on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium 16:30 (UK).

After huge success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Guardiola has brought phenomenal success to City with 18 major trophies during his time here.

Back in the late 1960s, Joe Mercer was the City manager and along with assistant Malcolm Allison masterminded a golden period for the Club when we won the First Division title, FA Cup, League Cup and European Cup Winners’ Cup.

Liverpool also had one of the great coaches of English football in Bill Shankly, who helped to transform the Club.

CITY V LIVERPOOL | MATCH PREVIEW

He led them to three League titles, a first ever FA Cup triumph in 1965 and again nine years later as well as the UEFA Cup.

This picture of Mercer and Shankly chatting in the corridors of Anfield was taken in the 1970/71 season after a goalless draw.

It was to be rare campaign when both managers finished without silverware, Liverpool losing the FA Cup final to Arsenal and our defence of the European Cup Winners’ Cup ending at the semi-final stage when injuries took their toll in a two-legged defeat to Chelsea.

The pair had a huge amount of respect for each other and the way they played the game, with an athletic, attacking approach that so often brought success.

They had played on opposite sides at Hampden Park in April 1939 when England beat Scotland 2-1 in the final game between the two countries before they both saw service in the second World War.

Mercer was a sergeant major in the British Army and Shankly served in the RAF – and this Sunday’s game will have a minute’s silence ahead of kick-off for Remembrance Day.

After retiring, they would occasionally attend matches together and Mercer was among the guests when Shankly was chosen as the subject of the famous TV programme This Is Your Life.

Two footballing greats who secured their places in the history of the game with a style, intelligence and wit that are celebrated today.