Jurgen Klopp praises 'outstanding' Thomas Tuchel as Jordan Henderson prepares for 'world class' Chelsea in Carabao Cup
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Published 25/02/2022 at 18:40 GMT
Both Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have managed Mainz and Borussia Dortmund, and the German pair now find themselves competing in the Premier League. Ahead of Sunday's Carabao Cup final at Wembley, Klopp acknowledged Tuchel's talent, while Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson conceded they were stellar opposition.
'A big moment in the season' - Henderson on Carabao Cup final
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and captain Jordan Henderson both know that Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side will be tough opponents in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
The first piece of domestic silverware of the season is up for grabs at Wembley and both German managers have had similar paths in their career.
While Klopp came directly via Mainz and then Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel added a stop at Paris Saint-Germain before he joined Chelsea.
Klopp has won both the Champions League and Premier League title in his time at Anfield, while Tuchel returned the Champions League to Stamford Bridge in his first season.
Reflecting on their careers, Klopp looked back at how he first heard of his upcoming rival.
"I heard so many good things about him because I'm friends with Christian Heidel, the director of sport at Mainz,” he said on Friday. “When he started talking about him, he could not stop! It was crazy. Thomas was an incredible talent then, (and) did an incredible job with the youth of Mainz.
"Then, he took the first team and the rest is history. His way is really exceptional and he's an outstanding coach and an outstanding manager."
Henderson spoke at a press conference ahead of Sunday’s game, and was similarly impressed by the playing squad.
“They are a fantastic team, there’s no getting away from that, with fantastic players,” he acknowledged.
“They have got [fantastic] players all over the park. They are very strong in midfield, but [also] very strong all over and they’ve got a very good squad of players. You’ve seen what they’ve won recently and over the last year so, they have been successful. They will be looking to add to their trophy collection over the last year with the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
“For us, it’s a final that we want to win, we want to use it as a platform to give us a big confidence boost going into the business end of the season. But, it’s never going to be easy against Chelsea, they are a world class team - as they have proved the last year or two.
"I think the manager has come in and done a fantastic job, so it will be a tough test but at the same time I feel as though we’ve got fantastic players here and we are a good team ourselves. If we perform to the level we are capable of then we can give them a good game.”
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