According to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, Jurgen Klopp can mastermind Manchester City’s elimination from the Champions League next month. However, Gerrard doesn’t want the Liverpool boss to prioritise the mouthwatering tie with City over the forthcoming Merseyside derby against Everton.
Liverpool and City meet in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with the first leg slated to take place at Anfield next Wednesday.
The Reds were the first Premier League team to beat City this season when they won 4-3 at Anfield in January. Gerrard reckons that Klopp’s side have everything to beat City over two legs and qualify for the semi-finals of the Champions League.
“We’ve seen some amazing games of football between them recently, and from a neutral point of view, I think it’s a 50-50 tie: City have shown their unbelievable quality this season and Liverpool have proven they can better any team in a game – including City,” Gerrard said, speaking to joe.co.uk.
“Now from a biased point of view, I’ve got every confidence that Jurgen Klopp and the team can deliver over both legs because they’ve shown they can do it.
“The manager’s got a great record in Europe, he knows Pep Guardiola well, and the opposition inside out.”
Gerrard, who is now the Liverpool under-18s coach, was a part of the Liverpool-Chelsea rivalry of the previous decade. However, the former Reds skipper believes such history will have no impact on the clash with City.
“It will be completely different,” he added. “For me, the only similarity is that it will be two domestic teams battling on the Champions League stage. We played Chelsea three times in the semis, once in the quarter-finals and the group stage.
“Their style under Jose Mourinho was disciplined and tactical, which was like Liverpool’s under Rafa Benitez so it was a more cagey affair and the teams would often cancel each other out (there were only three goals scored in six continental meetings while both those managers were in the dugout).
Under Jurgen and Pep, with attack the emphasis of both teams and both wanting to take the initiative and dominate, it offers more as a spectacle.”
Sandwiched between the two legs of the City tie is the Merseyside derby against Everton. Gerrard is confident that Klopp will field a strong starting XI to get all three points at Goodison Park.
“I wouldn’t want Liverpool to prioritise City over Everton because of the rivalry, as well as wanting the club to finish as high as possible in the league,” the player turned pundit said.
“Jurgen will have all the knowledge and information to make the best decisions over that tough period, though.
“I think he’s also got every confidence in his squad that if he does make four or five changes, he can still get the result he’s after in all three games.”
The month of April will define where Liverpool would stand at the end of the season. Starting with Crystal Palace this weekend, Klopp’s men will have to churn out the results in the league in order to secure a top-four finish this campaign.
