Jamie Carragher was handed a rare opportunity to interview the legendary ex-AC Milan manager Arrigo Sacchi who was full of praise for Jurgen Klopp and his Liverpool side.
In an interview conducted by our former defender for The Telegraph, the retired Italian coach was posed several questions about the Reds and our inspirational gaffer.
The 75-year-old explained how a visit from the German was postponed because of the pandemic, but was still very complimentary: “England now has the best coaches in the world, Pep [Guardiola] and Klopp are two greats who allow football to move forward.
“Without coaches like that, football dies.
“I watched Liverpool play Barcelona and I was emotional. I was emotional because it was not just a team winning, it was an entire city. In the next life, I want to be a coach in England.
“The football intelligence of the fans was always different in England”.
The man who retired from coaching in 2001 went on to discuss his admiration for the current crop of players at Anfield, as he said: “This Liverpool team is a masterpiece, a fantastic team without any real superstars. A true team.
“You see one playing for eleven, while other teams are eleven playing for themselves. 80 per cent of the time, they are moving when they have the ball.
“If they were an orchestra they would always be in perfect tune and in perfect time”.
You can’t get much more praise than that and it illustrates not just the ability of this amazing squad, but the appreciation we have world-wide.
Our 5-0 demolition of Manchester United that followed an impressive victory away to Atletico Madrid would have only further enhanced our international standing.
It’s easy to forget how lucky we are to be able to watch these players every week in what truly is a team for the ages, with one of the greatest managers to have ever coached the game.
In years to come, ex-players will be desperate to interview an aged ‘Normal One’ and here’s hoping he has much more Anfield silverware to discuss.