Newly-appointed Southampton boss Nathan Jones has explained why Jurgen Klopp helped him decide to come to the Premier League.
Liverpool take on Southampton on Saturday afternoon in their top flight meeting at Anfield. It sees the Reds in their final fixture before the season stops for the World Cup in Qatar.
Klopp ’s side go into the clash on the back of two dramatic victories in different competitions. Liverpool’s young stars got past Derby County in the Carabao Cup in midweek, after a more senior line-up beat Tottenham Hotspur in the league last weekend.
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The Reds are currently in eighth place in the league table, and will be keen to go into the mid-season break with a win. At the other end of the scale, Southampton are in 18th place and have just one win in their last nine top flight outings.
Jones replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl as Southampton boss earlier in the week. The former Luton Town manager has explained why competing against the likes of Klopp helped lure him into the job.
“The respect level has to be through the roof because of what he has achieved, in terms of how he goes about his work in terms of everything,” Jones told the Southern Daily Echo .
“Personally, I don’t know him. We were both in the same awards ceremony – the same room we both won awards in the summer.
“But that’s as far as our relationship goes. I am excited to go up against him.
“I know it’s going to be very, very difficult but from what he’s achieved at Liverpool, what he did at Dortmund, magnificent.
“One of the world’s best coaches and that’s the lure of the Premier League, the excitement of going up against the world’s best coaches. One way or another, I will learn.”
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