Rewatching the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid as he once again prepares for “football’s greatest test” was agonizing for Jurgen Klopp.
In a rematch of the season-ending game in Paris, Liverpool will take against the current European champions. As he is ready to face Carlo Ancelotti’s team again, Klopp waited until last weekend to review the 1-0 loss.
The Reds manager said: “We played this final in Paris, and I haven’t watched it back since. This weekend, however, and I quickly realized that I now understand why I haven’t watched it back, but I had to.
We performed well and had a chance to win the game, and that is the deciding phrase. We might have won, but we didn’t because they scored and we didn’t, and that is the deciding factor.
In addition to losing the 2018 championship to Real, Klopp’s Liverpool was eliminated by the Spanish powerhouses in the 2021 quarterfinals. That was under Zinedine Zidane, but they are still a power in Europe today under seasoned manager Ancelotti, who has won four European Cups overall, the most of any manager.
When asked whether playing Real Madrid would be football’s greatest challenge, Klopp said, “Yes, they are. Carlo is the most laid-back boss I’ve ever encountered, one of the greatest individuals you could ever meet, really modest, clever, and lovely. His man-management is unmatched by anybody else. I really respect him.
“With this world-class squad, they brought in incredibly exciting young players, they struggle a bit in the league but are always highly competitive and tough to defeat so this combination is a challenging one but I believe it makes sense to try.”
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