Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has heaped praise on Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel ahead of the two German coaches’ clash at Wembley in the FA Cup final on Saturday. The Blues will be keen to end their season in the best way possible, with the competition left as their only potential chance left to win silverware this campaign.
The showdown is set to be a rematch of the Carabao Cup final earlier in the year, where the Reds came out on top after a penalty shootout. A victory for Klopp would secure at least a double this season, with an unlikely quadruple still on the cards.
As Tuchel, while his side have won the Club World Cup in the past year, a lack of other cups will be seen as a slight disappointment for their efforts. Despite that, the head coach was quick to clarify that it wouldn’t be a disaster if they lost the final: “I wouldn't get carried away and say we have to win it.
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“We will try everything, and it changes a lot if you play a final or win a final, I can tell you. We will do everything to be happy with ourselves and that we leave everything out there on the pitch. This is what we did in Carabao. Nothing new. We need luck, it needs to be on our side. We will push hard for it."
It remains to be seen if they can go on to win it, however they will certainly be hoping that third time's the charm, having lost the last two consecutive FA Cup finals back-to-back. Defeats to Arsenal and Leicester have denied the Blues a ninth title win, with Liverpool standing in the way of that same goal again.
Heading into the game, plenty of words have been traded over the opposition managers, though often with a very respectful tone for the work each other has managed to do in their time at their respective clubs. This was clearly on display when Klopp was asked to sum up his counterpart in just one word.
The coach couldn’t do it, given the extent of the task Tuchel has managed, and instead extended the answer to three words. Speaking to the BBC, he said: “One word is difficult, he's a..... world-class coach.”
It shows the mutual respect between the two heading into the game. However, once they step out on the pitch, it’ll be full focus on the match and on getting their side over the other.
