Pep Guardiola could not have achieved what Jurgen Klopp has at Liverpool, claims Stan Collymore, with the Reds’ Premier League title-winning coach considered to be “incredible”.
A first top-flight crown in 30 years has been delivered on Merseyside by the highly-rated German, with that coronation secured in record-breaking style.
Having built steadily to this point on the back of his appointment in October 2015, Klopp has returned Liverpool to the summit of domestic, continental and global games.
That success has been achieved in an era when big-spending clubs are commonplace and some of the finest tactical brains in the business cross swords on a regular basis.
For Collymore, though, nobody could have matched Klopp’s efforts at Anfield if given the same resources and challenge - not even Manchester City’s former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola.
The ex-Reds striker told The Mirror: “What Klopp has done in such a short space of time at Liverpool is incredible.
“In the likes of Mo Salah, Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane, he has turned world-class players into absolute machines, and in Virgil van Dijk you’re talking about the best central defender in the world.
“He has transformed Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson – one homegrown kid and one £8 million ‘steady Eddie’ signing – into arguably the best full-backs in the world.
“There have been times Liverpool fans have felt sorry for themselves, times when excuses were made about why they weren’t winning titles, times when the buying and selling was poor.
“There have been times when you looked at some of the Liverpool sides and thought, 'Will they ever get back to a position to compete again?'.
“Klopp has ended all that.
“I’m not convinced Guardiola could have done what Klopp has done if things were the other way round.
“I still want to doff my cap to Guardiola and City because it has been a cracking effort from them again this season.
“They have been an admirable foe and it’s not easy to go again after back-to-back title wins in which you have amassed 100 and then 98 points.
“But to the victor the spoils and they are deservedly Liverpool’s this time.”
Liverpool have wrapped up the title this season with seven games to spare, as they sit 23 points clear of the chasing pack, and will be given a guard of honour by the side they have dethroned when heading to the Etihad Stadium for a meeting with Guardiola’s City on Thursday.