Thiago Alcantara admitted that "energy and control" were the differences between playing under Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola. The Spain international worked with Klopp at Liverpool before they both left in 2024.
Now, Alcantara will return to Anfield to play in a Liverpool Legends game against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday afternoon. The German boss will also return in the dugout, as he manages the Reds alongside Sir Kenny Dalglish.
The ex-Spain international will face a familiar foe in Dortmund, whom he faced often while playing under Guardiola at Bayern Munich. Speaking to the Coaches' Voice about his time under the two managers, Alcantara named the key difference between the pair.
He said: "With Jurgen, it was all about energy. With Pep, it was about control. Rules that we have to have before reaching the final area, that’s when freedom comes. It’s completely the opposite [with Klopp], it’s that ‘I want to be comfortable in chaos.'"
Highlighting just how Liverpool worked under Klopp, the 34-year-old added: "We had a physical team, wanted to play the ball straight pass in front… we are generating more energy for the team.
"The benefit for the team regarding the energy we had, it’s about the pressure we did when we lost the ball. It was faster than ever I saw in my life, when we lost the ball, we were already making a cage.
"We were all the time putting traps, so when they had the ball we cover situations so we can go 1v1, or our attacking player was in a favourable position. These two players, number eight and number six, they are very linked. This player [the other midfielder] is the physical profile, he will enjoy more the attacking positions."
Alcantara spent three years working under Guardiola, winning three Bundesliga titles and three domestic trophies during that time. He also secured the Champions League in Germany after the Spaniard left, alongside four more league trophies and domestic silverware.
Joining Liverpool in 2020, the former midfielder won the FA Cup and Community Shield with Klopp before announcing he would be leaving at the end of the 2023/24 season.
He retired in the same summer that the German stepped back from management. Now, they will both be making an emotional return to Anfield.
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