Jurgen Klopp took a sly dig at Pep Guardiola when he stated that even the Manchester City manager couldn’t help but come down to Anfield to watch Liverpool play good football.
The Reds were at their rampaging best as they put four past Stoke City at Anfield on Tuesday in the presence of the Manchester City manager, who came to watch the game at Anfield, ahead of his side’s trip to the Merseyside on Saturday.
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With the presence of Guardiola amongst the crowd, Klopp highlighted the significance of the game against City.
"I'm not sure whether he watched a lot of games in the last few weeks in other stadiums. That is the first sign that it is a special game and we are already looking forward to it," said Klopp.
While respecting Pep’s side, Klopp also took a little dig at the former Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona manager. "I respect them a lot also, but I have not been at their stadium this season. Maybe he just wants to watch good football," he joked.
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The German seemed enthusiastic about the New Year’s Eve showdown admitting that City are an outstanding team under Pep and that playing at Anfield is just going to make the occasion even more special.
"It's a difficult game for both teams but exciting, and the best thing is it's at Anfield. They are an outstanding side and we are not too bad."
With the win against Stoke on Tuesday, Liverpool leapt back into second in the league table, just one point ahead of Manchester City, who are in 3rd place. Goals from Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana, and Daniel Sturridge were enough to secure all three points for the Reds after Stoke scored the first goal of the game courtesy a Jonathan Walters header.
Despite a shaky first 20 minutes, Klopp’s men managed to take control of the game, equalising and then taking the lead just minutes before halftime. In the second half, Liverpool came out and dominated the possession to see off the Potters by four goals to one.
The Reds managed to secure all three points even without the presence of their star player Philippe Coutinho, which shows the kind of depth there is in the squad. Daniel Sturridge scored his first Premier League goal of the season which also marked the 100th League goal under Jurgen Klopp for the Reds.
Klopp will be looking to send a message to Antonio Conte and Chelsea by beating Pep Guardiola’s team at Anfield on Saturday.
