Expect touchline action as Klopp, Conte collide
THE touchline action could be as explosive as what happens on the pitch at Stamford Bridge on Friday when Jürgen Klopp takes his Liverpool team to tackle Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.
Both managers are renowned for the intensity of their touchline antics and the fourth official could have a job on his hands maintaining order in the two technical areas.
Klopp appreciates the similarities, but it is Conte’s achievements with Juventus and Italy, rather than his conduct in front of the dug-outs, that have won him the German’s admiration.
“The very important thing is he is a great manager, something like the ‘Pep Guardiola of Juventus’ if you want,” Klopp said.
“He created their special type of play and had a very successful time there and with the national team.
“It is quite impressive what he has done until now, but I don’t play against Antonio Conte.”
After defeat at Burnley and a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool returned to winning ways at the weekend with a clinical 4-1 thrashing of champions Leicester City at the newly expanded Anfield. Chelsea’s perfect start to the campaign ended with a 2-2 draw at Swansea City in which they rescued a point through Diego Costa’s 81st-minute equaliser.
The way Chelsea let Swansea back into the match suggested the vulnerability that plagued them last season, when they finished 10th, continues to hover below the surface. But Chelsea winger Victor Moses is convinced that Conte’s offpitch adjustments have set the club on the right path.
“I think he is the right man for this club,” the Nigeria international told the Chelsea website.
“He came in and changed quite a few things and everyone was expecting that. The food regime and the training have changed and he wants everyone to gel together as a team. He speaks to every player and wants the best from each and every one of us, and he will get the best out of us.”
If the teams’ last encounter, in a pre-season friendly in the US, is anything to go by, Friday’s game beneath the floodlights could be a spicy affair. Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas was sent off for an ugly foul on Ragnar Klavan, while Liverpool’s Marko Grujic had to go to hospital following a clash of heads with Bertrand Traore.
It could also be spectacular. The two teams average more shots on goal per game than any other teams in the division, while Liverpool’s players have covered more distance than any other team.
Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren is due to return for Liverpool, following a head injury, in place of Lucas Leiva, whose error against Leicester gift-wrapped a goal for Jamie Vardy. But Germany midfielder Emre Can remains absent with an ankle injury.
David Luiz is expected to make his second debut for Chelsea, five years and seven months after his first appearance for the club, which coincidentally came in a home game against Liverpool. The Brazil centre-back, 29, returned to Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain on transfer deadline day for a reported fee of £32m.
Luiz, previously a Chelsea player between 2011 and 2014, is likely to replace captain John Terry, who has been ruled out for 10 days with ankle ligament damage sustained at Swansea.
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho said Manchester United’s chances of winning the Premier League could be hindered by their Europa League campaign.
United faced Dutch league leaders Feyenoord in their opening group game in Europe’s secondtier competition on Thursday night, with Mourinho opting to rest captain Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw for the trip to Rotterdam.
The Portuguese, who lifted the trophy with Porto in 2003 when it was the Uefa Cup, said the congested fixture list was not ideal for his side to challenge for their 21st English league title.
“It’s more difficult, yes [to win the Premier League when you are playing in the Europa League],” Mourinho told reporters.
“It would be better if we had the privilege of playing on a Monday after a Thursday game to have one day [recovery] but we didn’t get that privilege.
“In fact, the gift we have is to play Liverpool on the Monday before, not the Monday after. So [in October] we play Liverpool on the Monday, Fenerbahce on the Thursday and Chelsea on the Sunday.
“So we know that we are not going to have any kind of support on that.”
United missed out on a Champions League spot after finishing fifth in the league last season, and the former Chelsea and Real Madrid manager said the threetime European champions would respect the Europa League.
“It is not a competition that United wants. It is not one I want or the players want but it is a competition where we are and that is the reality. We want to win the competition,” Mourinho said.