16 January 2024 , 12:22
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James Milner knows Jurgen Klopp better than most, having played under the Liverpool boss for eight years during their shared time together at Anfield.
Their time working alongside one another came to an end last summer, when Milner opted to end his stay in Merseyside and set up shop on the south coast with Brighton. However, the veteran midfielder still speaks highly of his former boss, as shown by his recent comments on Klopp and how the Liverpool manager "changed" over the course of his tenure.
Milner was a vital part of Klopp's illustrious Liverpool reign and has a Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup to show for his efforts. He is widely viewed as one of the best free transfers of recent times, having joined from Manchester City for nothing during Brendan Rodgers' time in the Anfield hot seat.
Therefore, the ex-England international is able to comment on the way Klopp developed during his time at the helm. Speaking The Football’s Greatest Managers Podcast with Jeff Stelling, Milner was asked if the Reds boss "mellowed" during his reign.
"Yeah, he did," the 38-year-old explained. "At the start there were not many days off, a lot longer and harder training at times. And then I think to his credit, Germany was a lot different as they have the winter break, whereas England Christmas is the busiest period and I think he learnt to trust the team.
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"I think he had ideas about players and maybe English players as well, they like to drink a lot, don’t prepare well and I think he saw with the squad he had that it wasn’t like that and if players got a day off they would look after themselves. To his credit he changed things and softened as time went on, but never lost his edge.
"He was more definitely aggressive at the start, he lost his rag a bit more at the start, but that is setting the standards, it’s probably the players he had wasn’t his squad and he wanted to get his point across."
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James Milner recently discussed how Jurgen Klopp has changed over the course of his Liverpool reignMilner's comments are a testament to Klopp and his ability to recognise the need for change. The Reds boss has certainly reaped the benefits of tweaking his style, having guided Liverpool to their first league title in three decades back in 2020.
The Reds are in the driving seat for this season's title race, with Liverpool currently top of the pile, boasting a slender two-point advantage over nearest challengers and reigning champions Manchester City.