Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp gives his take on upcoming UEFA Champions League semi-final vs Villarreal
According to the club’s official website, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is looking forward to the upcoming UEFA Champions League semifinal against Villarreal.
The Reds entered the last four after an exciting 6-4 aggregate win over Benfica in the quarter-finals. They now face Villarreal, this season’s surprise package in the competition. Despite the favourable draw, the German knows not to take his team’s position for granted.
Klopp has been keeping an eye on the Spaniards and is impressed with what he saw. He has also gone on to praise Unai Emery and his tactical acumen that has seen the Yellow Submarines punch above their weight.
“I watched them properly and, wow, impressive. Unai looks like, if you watch his team, a detail-obsessed manager who prepares for all different situations in a game and that’s what his team is executing.”
Klopp’s comment is a far cry from the rather disrespectful take by Bayern Munich boss, Julian Nagelsmann made ahead of their quarter-final clash against Villarreal. He was forced to eat humble pie as the Spaniards eventually dumped out Die Roten at the Allianz Stadium.
The Reds have lost just thrice all season across all competitions but have at times shown flashes of complacency. We saw some of that in our 3-3 draw against Benfica last time around. More of the same could prove decisive on Wednesday night but then again, one could argue that the team was a bit more relaxed thanks to their 3-1 win in the first leg.
While Klopp might have had no reason to keep an eye on Villarreal from the beginning of the season, he appears to have adapted to it as the campaign wore on. Unai Emery certainly appears to have left an impact on our manager’s mind.
“In the league you can see there are games where they have much more possession and other games where they have lesser possession. So just everything is involved and if they are not winning, they are close to it.”
It is heartening to see that Liverpool are not taking the match for granted and will be prepared. The Yellow Submarines have earned their spot in the last four and should be afforded their due respect.
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Jurgen Klopp is staring at an unprecedented quadruple with the Reds this season. Beating Villarreal on Wednesday will take them one step closer to that achievement. The last time we met them was the Europa League semi-final in 2016.
The Reds lost 1-0 in the first leg but won 3-0 at Anfield to make the final, losing to Sevilla to perhaps birth one of the greatest Liverpool teams in the years that followed.
