BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand is sufficiently impressed with Jurgen Kloppm comparing the Liverpool boss with his former Manchester United chief, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferdinand believes Jurgen Klopp is – who led Liverpool to their maiden Premier League title last season, has guided the Reds into the Champions League knockout stages with a game to spare – ‘mirroring’ his former Old Trafford manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Reds beat Ajax 1-0 on Tuesday night at Anfield, courtesy of Curtis Jones’ second half goal.
Klopp has appeared garrulous in some post-match interviews this season, regularly complaining over the packed fixture schedule and Ferdinand is inclined to believe this is a way of easing pressure on the Liverpool team with the former defender admitting Ferguson used to do the same.
Ferdinand said on BT Sport: ”Sometimes he’d do a team talk after a game and would be brilliant, as calm as you like. ‘Well done lads’ or whatever.
“Then you’d see him on the TV screen, in the changing room, and he’d be going absolutely bananas about an issue we wouldn’t have thought about. A linesman’s decision or something like that.
“‘What’s that about?’ He was as calm as you like and you’d think ‘wow’. He took the spotlight off someone or something within that 90 minutes that could derail us and put it on something else.
“His choice and he’s controlling the narrative. That’s what I think Klopp’s doing.”
Klopp was definitely in a much more jovial mood following the win over Ajax, with Liverpool into the last-16 of the Champions League.
“Honestly, since I’ve been at Liverpool, it feels (like) one of the biggest Champions League nights we (have) had and for sure, without supporters in, it was the most important and the most difficult and the most exceptional game,” said Klopp.
“Hendo had a proper knock in his back, Gini (Wijnaldum) played whatever number game, I don’t want to say.
“I hope he can carry on. We defended like devils. It is not that we played the best football.
“This is the situation we are in, that is what you make of it and we are top of the group after matchday five and we’ve never done that before. It is unbelievably good.”