Van Dijk on why Klopp is a better manager than Pep
Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has spoken about how and why he believes Jurgen Klopp is a better manager than Pep Guardiola.
Van Dijk has been speaking ahead of the Red’s crunch Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester City on Tuesday evening.
And the towering Dutchman has told the press the ways in which he believes Klopp is ahead of Guardiola.
The Independent ran a fairly lengthy interview piece with the former Southampton man, who they believe has transformed Liverpool in ways that not even Mohamed Salah can manage.
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While the Manchester side wanted him in their side, there is no way the Netherlands skipper was going to turn down the chance to work alongside Klopp – as he felt the German was the better boss, said the newspaper.
“He is a fantastic team manager, player manager as well, everyone is working hard together. He has shown already that he is an outstanding manager,” the defender said of Klopp.
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While that claim can be endlessly debated, there is no doubt that van Dijk has had a massive impact on the fortunes of the side.
It can hardly be a coincidence that Dejan Lovren plays better when alongside the 26-year-old, nor can the improvement in Loris Karius be put down to the faith of the boss alone.
Liverpool are taking an incredibly handy 3-0 lead into the reverse fixture, which will be played out in front of City’s home fans. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll sit back and defend – which would be the wrong course of action to take.
Klopp’s men are at their undisputed best when attacking and trying to score goals. And thanks to the away goal rule, should they score one it’ll mean the Citizens have to net five.
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But with van Dijk at the back, that’ll be far from easy. Even if they can welcome Sergio Aguero back into the side, he’ll do so with the knowledge that one of the best central defenders in the world is waiting for him.