Jurgen Klopp's Passion and Desire Can Drive Liverpool to Victory vs. Man United

Jurgen Klopp has provided plenty of memorable quotes in his 100 days in charge of Liverpool so far, and the charismatic German provided another for his growing collection of sound bites ahead of Manchester United's visit to Anfield this weekend.

Klopp, who has overseen an incredible 21 games during his 100 days in charge so far, said, "I love derbies."

"It's the salt in the soup. [They're the] best matches to perform [in]."

Liverpool fans will forgive Klopp for referring to the match as a derby—a phrase typically only used in reference to a game against a city rival (in the Reds' case, Everton)—but it has been more latterly talked up as a derby by the headline-seeking media.

Klopp comes up against a familiar foe in the opposition dugout on Sunday, having faced Louis van Gaal four times as Borussia Dortmund's boss.

After two heavy defeats—5-1 and 3-1—to the then-Bayern Munich boss in 2009/10, Klopp's Dortmund side then showed the turning of the tide by beating their Bavarian rivals twice in 2010/11—2-0 and 3-1. Klopp's side went on to win the Bundesliga, while Van Gaal left Munich at the end of that season.

Inevitably then, much of Klopp's pre-match press conference on Friday focussed on his rivalry with Van Gaal and his opinions on football.

Klopp refused to speak about Manchester United's current situation, saying that Van Gaal "is one of the most successful managers in the world. He has a special idea of football, and as an opponent, you have to respect this."

But a leading question about football being entertaining allowed the Liverpool boss to show how he differs from his United counterpart. "I am a football fan, and if I watch football, I like to be entertained. It is one of the most important things in football," he said.

"You have to play football people want to talk about," he added—which will certainly stick in the minds of United fans who are unhappy with the style of play Van Gaal is serving up at Old Trafford.

Plenty are talking about Van Gaal's football, but for all the wrong reasons.

Passion

This fixture last season saw Van Gaal outwit Brendan Rodgers tactically, with the visitors walking away with the three points after a 2-1 victory during which Steven Gerrard was dismissed within 38 seconds of coming on at half-time.

Gerrard was presumably upset at having watched his teammates fail to deliver the passion required in games of this magnitude, with few challenges or battling qualities on display on the opening 45 minutes back in March.

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Gerrard's passion that day wasn't of the controlled type that is needed in games of this intensity. 

"You will not win against Man United because you ran 145 miles or something," said Klopp. "'You have to make the right decisions."

Liverpool need players with fire in the belly but ice in the mind.

It was a similarly lifeless story again in the reverse fixture this season in September, with Rodgers' side limping to a weak 3-1 defeat in a performance that for many Liverpool fans was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of the Northern Irishman's support.

Rodgers deployed Danny Ings and Roberto Firmino as wide players, but the two forwards ended up playing more like wing-backs, and Liverpool failed to attack a poor United side who—in the eyes of many—were there to be beaten. They had lost to Swansea City the week before and scored just three goals in their opening four league games.

Instead, Liverpool put in a weak display devoid of any passion required to give you the edge in these heated rivalries.

Where Rodgers failed to master the big games, Klopp has come in and produced his best results in the big games: beating Chelsea and Manchester City away from home, and dominating the opening half against Arsenal—a match they'd have won had it not been for the continued ineptitude in defence and goal.

Such games are where having a manager of Klopp's calibre will pay dividends for Liverpool in the long term. Not since Rafael Benitez was in charge have fans entered big games like this believing their manager had what it took to get one over their rivals.

Benitez thrived under the intensity of these games, and Klopp will do similarly.

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Under Benitez, and Gerard Houllier before him, Liverpool would regularly come out on top in these fixtures, but it's three defeats in the last three meetings for the Reds agains the Red Devils, conceding eight, scoring just two.

Indeed, in the 11 league games between the two sides since Benitez left, Liverpool have won just three and lost seven.

Big games need big performances and big personalities—Liverpool have the latter in their dugout. On the pitch, they now need to show the one thing his predecessor used to incorrectly claim and produce the character required to win a match of this importance and magnitude.

Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.