Sunday’s game will not be the first time the two men have been in opposing dug-outs with Klopp having got the better of the Englishman when they were in charge at Borussia Dortmund and Wolfsburg respectively.
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With Sturridge nearly impossible to rely on, another prolific striker in the ranks would give Liverpool further strength in depth and Vardy’s pace and tenacity would see him fit in well with Klopp’s pressing game.
Sportsmail revealed this week that his reign has been thrown into chaos with members of his own backroom team now at loggerheads.
The next match came towards the end of January 2011, with the Wolves on a run of only one win in 10 and McClaren’s job in jeopardy. Two wins in two means that Sunderland are bouncing for the first time in months but despite Arsenal’s problems they should win at home to their relegation threatened opponents but not without a scare.
Again, however, he has pleaded for time to turn things around.
“But he also said the club is like a family, that the players are very nice – and I trusted him on that”.
‘We don’t believe in patience.
“To be honest we expect it all the time”.
“It is disappointing to see what they have been through at Newcastle”, he says. You can’t influence that.
While that’s a good problem to have, one thing that remains a concern is the fitness of Philippe Coutinho with the Reds boss confirming in his pre-match presser that the Brazilian is still struggling with the hamstring problem that has kept him out of Liverpool’s last three outings.
‘They were top of the league and a really good team, very well organised, ‘ he said.
“He impressed me straight away with his mentality – he wanted to be the best he could be and always wanted to improve”.
“My future is definitely back at Liverpool because that is my dream and that is what I want to achieve”, he said. I can’t tell you something about Newcastle. A 6-1 hammering of Southampton in the cup midweek is he latest win for Jurgen Klopp’s side, which was bolstered by the return to the starting XI of Daniel Sturridge.
“They’re title contenders in terms of the form they’re in”. Milner, on the other hand, has been a model of consistency on his travels around the top division. I don’t think anyone would dispute what Brendan Rodgers had done. He could easily have stayed at Manchester City in the summer, he was made an attractive offer but after winning some of the silverware and medals he craved he chose to go for more regular football at Liverpool.
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There have been 42 encounters between the two sides, and they average 3.14 goals per game – but that is not the most prolific match-up; that honour goes to Manchester United and Southampton.
