Jurgen Klopp makes 'ridiculous' claim about his famous Liverpool side

The ex-Liverpool manager was back on Merseyside and spoke to the media ahead of this weekend's legends' game, where he will take on another of his former sides, Dortmund

Jurgen Klopp has said the greatness of his Liverpool teams were "taken for granted"

Jurgen Klopp feels the “ridiculously” high standards of his great Liverpool side were “taken for granted” during his time at the club.

The Reds won the Premier League title and the Champions League in back-to-back seasons between 2018 and 2020, while his teams managed 90+ point seasons three times in four years. Klopp also led Liverpool twice to Carabao Cup glory and an FA Cup triumph in 2022, while there were two runs to Champions League finals.

Those lofty standards are particularly prevalent at the moment, given the side's struggles under Klopp’s successor. The German was back in Merseyside on Friday ahead of this weekend’s charity legends game, where he will manage a Liverpool team against Dortmund at Anfield.

Speaking at a media event on Friday, Klopp was asked about Mohamed Salah’s imminent Liverpool exit, and whether this week’s news has made him reflect on the club’s glory years.

“Now it’s time, not for Liverpudlians obviously, because there is still a lot to go for, but for me it’s a bit different and I can already reflect,” Klopp said on Salah’s departure.

“And what a time that was, and what a player he is. My God. The goals he scored and the games we had. Champions League away games in Porto, for example, what happened there?

“We kind of took it for granted, but this team was ridiculous. You go to Porto now and it’s not that they are better or worse; they were always good. But we went there and did exactly that. In their prime, this team was incredible, in each and every part.

Klopp led Liverpool a first Premier League title in 2020(Image: Getty Images)

“That’s the thing in these moments – time stops for a second,” added Klopp. “And that means you watch the movie again. My big target was always that when I am old and grey - I’m grey but maybe not that old - I can look back and smile, and that is definitely the case.”

Klopp has spoken at length on Salah’s decision to leave Liverpool and the impact the Reds’ no.11 has made in the last nine years.

The ex-Reds boss also clarified that, contrary to some reports, he and Salah are on excellent terms. The pair memorably clashed on the sidelines at the London Stadium in the final months of his Anfield reign, but Klopp said they immediately moved on from that minor skirmish.

Klopp spoke about Salah's decision to leave Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

“We both know that we had these arguments, not big, big arguments. Like the one at West Ham, both us, five seconds later, would have thought: ‘No, we don’t do that in public, come on, rewind.’

“Next morning it was already over, but it happens in public. We never lost respect for each other and that is what I really like. He didn’t like me for a second when I took him off after 87 minutes and all these kind of things, and you think: ‘Why?’

“The time with him and Sadio [Mane] together, they were a challenge, of course they were. Special players are a challenge. Tell me one who is not? The real difference makers. The one who wasn’t by the way was Bobby Firmino.”

On Salah, he added: “The Mo movie is a beautiful movie, a beautiful movie, and to make it interesting you have to have a few edges in. It’s a beautiful movie with a happy end.”