Thomas Tuchel paid Liverpool plenty of respect with his comments after his Bayern Munich side came from behind twice to beat the Reds 4-3 in Singapore on Wednesday.
The German champions were 2-0 and 3-2 down against Jurgen Klopp’s men before ultimately prevailing in a seven-goal thriller, and the former Chelsea boss was delighted with the intensity his team showed, insisting that it’s a necessity when playing the Merseysiders.
As per Liverpool Echo, the 49-year-old said: “It was a proper away game, and we expected that. In Singapore and Malaysia, there are a lot of Liverpool fans. The intensity didn’t surprise me.
“It was maybe a bit tougher for us because they started earlier [pre-season] and will start the season earlier. It was important to not be too shy and stand up and accept the fight. If you play Liverpool, it is always an intense match. You cannot expect anything else.
“This match proved we are on the right track. You can only win against Liverpool if you play as a team and overcome tough moments.
“The way the game went was more difficult than it was already because we went down 2-0 and it is very physical always against Liverpool, so we stood up, fought against and never gave up our discipline and spirit.”
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Of course, Tuchel is no stranger to facing Liverpool, having done so nine times as a manager in competitive action with three different clubs, each of those coming against Klopp (Transfermarkt).
He’d have duly been very familiar with coming up against a high-pressing, all-action Reds team, although those qualities were all too often conspicuous by their absence last season at Anfield.
Still, even if it’s commonplace for managers to publicly respect their opposition, LFC fans may be quite pleased to hear the Bayern boss suggesting that his side needed to match the Merseysiders’ intensity, as it hints that Klopp’s men are regaining that particular strength.
The addition of Dominik Szoboszlai especially has breathed new life and energy into the midfield, with the Hungarian’s relentless pressing a standout feature of Liverpool’s pre-season so far.
After beginning the 2022/23 campaign with flat performances against Fulham, Crystal Palace and Manchester United, the Reds at least look better placed to hit the ground running this time, even if the tally of goals conceded is a worrying trend which needs to be remedied.
#Ep83 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones
And our defence was shite,,!!!