Sir Alex Ferguson might have knocked Liverpool off the perch when it comes to most English league titles but the Manchester United legend has stated that the Reds are actual contenders for this season’s title.
The Scotsman, who guided United to 13 Premier League titles, 5 FA Cups and a couple of Champions League titles, amongst other trophies, stated that the German manager has done a great job at the club so far.
Speaking to German magazine Kicker, Ferguson said:
“He has done a really good job and revived Liverpool’s enthusiasm.
“It can happen that big clubs lose it. For two decades, Liverpool changed managers without building their own identity.
“You can now well and truly sense that you have to count them in this year. You can see Klopp’s dedication on the sideline – I’m convinced his work in training is similar. He’s a strong personality. That’s absolutely vital at a big club.”
The former Aberdeen manager also stated which clubs he believes are in the running for this season’s Premier League title with Liverpool ranking high on the list.
“Manchester City as favourites, Tottenham and Liverpool, but also United are still there if we get some consistency soon. Even when you are trailing by six, eight points, it’s still possible to catch one or two teams.”
While nominating Manchester United as one of the teams to look out for is no surprise, naming Liverpool as a favourite isn’t normal for someone associated with the Red Devils.
Jurgen Klopp has turned things around at Merseyside and it is certainly a blessing that the German chose the Reds rather than any other club in the world.
Klopp responds to Ferguson
Not to be outdone, the Liverpool manager praised the former United manager but he knew when not to cross the line with the flowery words.
“Is it allowed for me to say I like Alex Ferguson?
“I knew him before and he’s a really nice person. He did what he had to do at Manchester and that automatically means it’s not good for Liverpool.
“When he has to say something positive about Liverpool, it’s better than if he would say something negative so it’s all good. But it doesn’t mean a lot. It doesn’t disturb us or help us.”
The German manager knows about the rivalry between the clubs and that probably ensured he didn’t say much more regarding the legend from the English game.
Ferguson responding in this manner to Klopp certainly is a sign that the Reds are on the up. It does take something rather incredible for a former Manchester United manager to praise the Liverpool counterpart but everyone knows a lot of work is still to be done at Merseyside if they are to pick up a first Premier League title.
Big changes at Liverpool
Klopp knew that he had a lot of work on his hand when he took up the Liverpool job. And with just one year completed at the helm, the former Borussia Dortmund manager has certainly turned things around at the club.
“Maybe we had to change the minds of fans about the past, but while I don’t know too much about enthusiasm I feel there is a positive atmosphere in and around Melwood at moment.
“That’s good. It’s not cool when you always think about football that you’re 20 per cent more upset, you should be feeling better. That’s our job to do. Until now it’s worked somehow. It’s really, really intense even when football isn’t the most important thing.”
The side is level on points with Manchester City and Tottenham at the top of the Premier League table and if they keep on performing at this level, the season could very well end with some silverware.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L8T5sZGywY
