Klopp laughs off ‘smart fox’ Ancelotti’s mind games ahead of showdown in Naples
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has dismissed what he claims are mind games by Napoli counterpart Carlo Ancelotti.
The Serie A side’s coach, who has experience of facing Klopp at Borussia Dortmund when he was Bayern Munich boss, praised the work the German has done at Anfield and the progress he has made.
Ancelotti said Klopp was “a difficult adversary, a friend; his teams are very dynamic, aggressive, they stand up a lot, they always have an identity”, and they had gone up a level since reaching the Champions League final in May.
However, Klopp laughed it off ahead of their League Group C encounter in Naples.
“I like Carlo Ancelotti, he is a fantastic guy. As we say in Germany ‘He is obviously a smart fox’,” said the Reds boss. “He says all these positive things about us and all these nice things about me is nice but it is tactics, it starts already.
“Carlo is so long in the business and he wants to bring the nice fella out in me but I am ready for a real battle.
“I don’t care too much what people say about us in the moment. Yes we have performed on a consistent, OK, level in the last few weeks but tomorrow we need to make the next step up in our development.
“This is a fantastic manager, a fantastic football team and a very emotional crowd so that will be a challenge.”
Ancelotti admitted their pre-season friendly hammering by Liverpool highlighted exactly how not to play against Klopp’s side. The Reds were 5-0 winners when the pair met in the Aviva Stadium in early August, with goals from James Milner, Georginio Wijnaldum, Mohamed Salah, Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno.
Ancelotti, facing Liverpool for the ninth time in his decorated career, knows they cannot afford to be as open against a team he rates as one of the best in Europe.
“The Dublin match is an experience, it has taught us many things, for example how not to play against Liverpool,” he said. “It was a friendly match, we did not want to focus on the opponent. The test will be very difficult, we will not have much time to think about what to do on the pitch, but we have a lot of confidence for tomorrow’s match and we will do it.
“Liverpool have improved a lot, they managed to reach the final last year and they started the season very well.
“I think they have become one of the strongest teams in Europe. They have a great physical condition, they play with intensity and so they manage to overcome the challenges of the Champions League.”