Sir Alex Ferguson Fears Jurgen Klopp Will Lift Liverpool Above Manchester United
Manchester United managerial icon Sir Alex Ferguson is "concerned" about the appointment of Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager and has claimed the German will "make a difference" at Anfield.
Alex Harris of the Daily Star quoted the legendary former coach at the TechCrunch conference speaking about the new Reds boss:
"I’m worried about him because the one thing United don’t want is Liverpool to get above us.
He’s a fantastic personality, with those big white teeth always showing.
Even at Newcastle when they lost the second goal he goes over to Steve McClaren to congratulate him. That’s class, that. And the work he did at Dortmund.
I know him quite well from the coaching seminars. He’s going to make a difference at that club with his personality, drive and knowledge.
Things are looking up there.
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Klopp suffered a blip on Sunday as his team stumbled to defeat against Newcastle United, losing 2-0 at St James' Park.
However, the response to his style of football has been positive, as fans have been witness to the philosophy that made Borussia Dortmund many neutrals' favourite team.
Liverpool have sat in United's shadow for a generation, and Ferguson was the perpetrator behind the Red Devils' motivation to eclipse the Merseyside giants.
But with the former manager retired, and Klopp installed, roles could be reversed in the years ahead.
Klopp returned the mutual respect to the ex-United coach, calling Ferguson "a role model for every manager," as quoted by Sky Sport's Charlotte Marsh after Liverpool's 6-1 win at Southampton in the League Cup:
"He [Ferguson] said congratulations and the rest is private. But I've had the huge honour of meeting him a few times and of course he is a role model for every manager in football.
It was a big pleasure because he's a funny person and something like a book of history in football so it was good to spend some time with him.
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United are stuck in flux under coach Louis van Gaal, and they are playing a style of football that supporters love to hate in England. However, the record of the Dutchman cannot be disputed, and he has made his team very hard to beat.
The Old Trafford team are level on points with Manchester City, and only one point behind Arsenal, giving LvG the room he needs to breathe in the league ahead of the transfer window.
Klopp's Liverpool sit in seventh place, and despite their exciting style, they are nine points adrift of Premier League leaders Leicester City.
Ferguson's fear is borne out of respect for Liverpool, and because Klopp is a world-class talent when it comes to coaching. There is a motivation at Anfield to recapture lost glory, but United will not want to slip behind their local rivals as they did in the 1970s and 80s.
The paths of United and Liverpool have often differed; as one north-west giant rises, the other one falls. However, both clubs are in transition at present, and they are chasing teams who have invested incredible sums over the last decade.
Both clubs are close to finding a way of climbing back to the summit, and if Klopp and Van Gaal can impose their philosophies of success on their players, the two traditional giants of English football could once again prove their dominance.
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