Klopp has Liverpool playing like Shankly did – Fowler

Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler has likened the club’s playing style under Jurgen Klopp to the football they were playing under Bill Shankly.

Shankly is considered one of the most iconic figures in Liverpool’s history, transforming the club into one of the finest and most successful European teams during his 15-year tenure between 1959 and 1974.

The Scottish tactician collected no fewer than 10 pieces of silverware during his time on Merseyside, including the UEFA Cup in 1973, and now Klopp has received the pinnacle of praise by Fowler in being compared to the Liverpool great.

Klopp’s men thwarted a toothless Tottenham at Wembley over the weekend to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League, with the 2-1 scoreline heavily flattering the north London outfit as Liverpool produced a stellar performance, much to the delight of their former marksman.

“It’s far too early to get carried away,” Fowler told the Mirror. “But that was almost the perfect performance from Liverpool at Wembley.

“They dominated Spurs, made a fantastic team look very ordinary. They suffocated them, which is a pretty impressive achievement given the quality in the midfield with Eriksen and Dembele.

“It is perhaps the biggest compliment you could pay to Jurgen Klopp’s tactics and his side’s execution of them, that you barely noticed one of the best midfielders in the world in Eriksen.

“I know people are pointing the finger at Pochettino and his tactics or his lack of a clear plan. Yet I’d say this, strongly: the speed at which Liverpool close down is frightening.

“They were on the Spurs players even before they could take a touch. It was lightning, and it didn’t matter just about where you were on the pitch, there was a red shirt right on top of you.

“That was the most impressive thing, and in some ways Klopp is tapping Liverpool history, because the best teams under Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish did that in dominating and controlling the opposition.

“I had it drilled into me as a kid coming through the ranks – Ronnie Moran said it so often I could hear his voice in my sleep. He was always on at me to learn from Rushie, who was the master of the old football adage of defending from the front.

“Liverpool do that with Firmino, obviously, but both Mane and Salah deserve credit too. It goes right through the team, and at the moment they seem able to sustain it for virtually 90 minutes.”

Liverpool are currently second in the Premier League – level on points with leaders Chelsea – after winning their opening five matches, conceding just two goals and scoring 11.

Klopp and co. will now turn their attention to Europe as they kick off their Champions League campaign on Tuesday night when they host French giants Paris Saint-Germain in Group C.

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