Jürgen Klopp on Hansi Flick: "It would be difficult to write more history in eight months!"
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has heaped praise on Bayern Munich and his counterpart Hansi Flick after they completed a Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League treble.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has heaped praise on Bayern Munich and his counterpart Hansi Flick after they completed a Bundesliga, DFB Cup and UEFA Champions League treble.
Flick only took over as Bayern boss in November, but he guided them from fourth in the league to secure a domestic double. They then finished a prolonged season last weekend by becoming European champions for the sixth time following their 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final.
Bayern had last won the treble under Jupp Heynckes in the 2012/13 campaign, and Flick’s side emulated that achievement in style by finishing 2019/20 unbeaten in 30 matches.
"I'm not sure how many Bayern coaches have won the treble… Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick," Klopp told German station ZDF when reflecting on the current Bayern coach’s success.
"Writing more history in eight months would be quite difficult to do!"
Flick's impact after taking over from Niko Kovac was already impressive before his side won all 15 games they played after the coronavirus pandemic interrupted the season. The domestic campaign ended with a 4-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB Cup final, and their current winning streak - stretching to 21 matches in all competitions - includes emphatic victories over Chelsea (3-0 and 4-1), Barcelona (8-2) and Lyon (3-0).
"Bayern are definitely, at the moment, an absolute - absolute - top team," Klopp said. "The squad is sensationally well assembled. They have absolutely world-class players in every position and they're the right age profile too. There's not really much to complain about [in their squad].
Watch: Klopp recently looked back on his success at Dortmund
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"In England, there are only a couple of teams that could be as good, and that on their day could beat Bayern. But when you take everything into account, Bayern can win because they have these qualities."
Klopp, who felt Bayern deserved their win against PSG in Lisbon, knows a thing or two about coaching top teams. He won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Borussia Dortmund in 2011 and 2012 before they lost 2-1 to Bayern in the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley.
His Liverpool side came up short against Real Madrid in the 2018 decider, but the 53-year-old got his hands on the trophy when the Reds beat Tottenham in last year's Champions League final.
In 2019/20 Klopp helped end Liverpool’s 30-year wait for an English league title, before watching Flick - another leading German tactician - succeed him as the coach of the reigning European champions.
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