Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp heaps praise on Manchester United ahead of derby

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp heaps praise on Manchester United ahead of the crunch game

Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp heaped praise on Manchester United and labelled them as a “results machine.”

United have been in great form this season and Erik ten Hag has done an exceptional job to turn things around in his first season in charge.

Klopp knows all too well how to turn things around at a big club that used to underperform before he took charge. We have been through that era while Man United seem to be headed towards it under the Dutch tactician.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp accepts that Manchester United have become a results machine. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

Here’s what the German said about his next opponents in the league and how to beat them on Sunday (h/t The Athletic ):

“They [United] won the League Cup final which is a wonderful feeling and then you realise you have no time to celebrate. They have turned into a results machine. They are still fully in the fight for winning the league.

“A strong opponent but we all know in football everything is possible and we just have to make sure we are 100 percent ready and that we want it that bit more than the other guys.

“Let’s use our crowd in the right manner. I’d like to squeeze everything we can out of this season. We have to make the decisive steps. There are five million reasons I want to win this.”

It goes without saying how big a game this is. As much as United are ahead of Liverpool this season, there is a potential for a 10-point gap to become seven after Sunday’s clash. For the Reds, this game is not about closing the gap with their rivals, but showing that they are serious about finishing fourth in the league.

Our form has improved in the league irrespective of what happened against Real Madrid. We have kept a clean sheet in four consecutive domestic games, winning the last two home games.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes Darwin Nunez is close to "getting there". — Klopp would be aiming to get one over United on Sunday. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

We would need all of that momentum and the Anfield crowd to be at their best to beat this in-form United side.

In Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes, they have a devastating duo who can cause Liverpool a lot of issues at the back. For that reason, having Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk is a big plus. The pace and physical dominance of that centre-back pairing will be put to test against the United forwards.