Before the title duel in London’s Wembley Stadium, Jürgen Klopp looked back at Mainz’s past.
“Thomas was an incredible talent, he did a great job with the youngsters,” said Klopp in a Sky interview and was really enthusiastic about his colleague Thomas Tuchel. “Then he took over the first team, the rest is history, his path is extraordinary,” said the Liverpool manager of the Chelsea manager. The duel between the German coaches, who both worked first for FSV Mainz 05 and then for Borussia Dortmund, will make the British headlines ahead of the League Cup final.
German trainers with an excellent reputation in England
Because Klopp and Tuchel are – together with Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola – the biggest coaching stars on the island. German trainers have long enjoyed an excellent reputation in England. In Ralf Rangnick at Manchester United, a third German is in charge of an English football giant. Previously, David Wagner, among others, caused a stir with the outsiders Huddersfield Town and Daniel Farke with two promotions with Norwich City.
Klopp was cautious after the furious 6-0 win against Leeds United. And that despite the fact that his Reds have been within striking distance of leaders Manchester City since Wednesday. “Honestly, we’re not chasing City,” said Klopp. “We try to win football games.” This works well at the moment. The thrashing of Leeds was Liverpool’s ninth consecutive competitive win. With the tenth, Klopp could win the first title of the season on Sunday (5:30 p.m. CET).
Klopp and Tuchel with legend status
After a bumpy start with three lost finals, Klopp has long since achieved legendary status in Liverpool. Since taking office in October 2015, he has turned the traditional club into a world-class club again. Winning the Champions League in 2019 and – more importantly – their first championship in 30 years the following season, the 54-year-old is adored at Anfield. The rather insignificant League Cup is still missing, as is the renowned FA Cup, which will soon face Norwich City.
Things went faster for Tuchel. Although he has only been at Chelsea for 13 months, he won the Champions League with the Londoners in his first season, lifted the UEFA Super Cup and now the Club World Cup. The blues had not had this title on their letterhead until then. An FA Cup final, however, was lost. And hopes that he can play for the championship with Chelsea in this, his first full season, have been shattered given the fact that they are 13 points behind leaders Man City.
In the league, the two teams drew twice (2-2 at Anfield, 1-1 at Stamford Bridge). However, the requirements before the League Cup final are different. While the Reds are currently in top form and have even strengthened themselves with Luis Diaz in attack, Chelsea have lacked consistency in recent weeks. The – hard-fought – success at the Club World Cup was followed by a rather difficult performance in the league against Crystal Palace.
Accordingly, Liverpool is the slight favorite in the game at Wembley Stadium. In contrast to the Klopp club, where everything seems to be going harmoniously at the moment, things are crackling a little behind the scenes at Chelsea. Tuchel’s relationship with record purchase Romelu Lukaku has been tense for some time. In the 2-0 Champions League win against Lille, the Belgian striker, who is unfamiliar with Tuchel’s tactics, stayed on the bench. Instead, national player Kai Havertz convinced in his position and scored the lead. Probably also a pointer in the direction of the League Cup.
Rangnick and the Man United construction sites
Ralf Rangnick, on the other hand, has significantly more problems. As interim coach at Manchester United he has to deal with numerous construction sites. Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is one of them. In the round of 16 first leg of the premier class at Atlético Madrid, Rangnick once again had a lucky hand. 19-year-old Anthony Elanga equalized five minutes after coming on for the English record champions and kept things open for the second leg.
The premier class offers Rangnick’s last chance at a title this season. However, Man United is not one of the favourites. On the other hand, Klopp could still win four titles with Liverpool this season, while Tuchel could win three with Chelsea. The first will be awarded at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.
Source: dpa
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