Jurgen Klopp press conference: Liverpool manager says Jose Mourinho is a 'nice guy' ahead of Chelsea clash

The newly-installed Anfield boss also downplayed the fixture's history

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp (Getty Images)

Jürgen Klopp says under-fire Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is actually a “nice guy” who he really respects and has “good talks” with.

Liverpool’s new manager was handing out the compliments ahead of his team’s trip to Chelsea today, a vital game for Mourinho as he attempts to end his recent bad publicity and Chelsea’s poor run of results.

“When I was in Germany, sometimes we sent short messages [to each other],” explained Klopp. “From my side, I am full of respect for his work. I think if you are not a journalist, or a referee, he can be a nice guy. And I am not one of these, so we have a good talk.”

The Liverpool manager forged a bond with Mourinho, 52, when the pair met four times in the 2012-13 Champions League while in charge of Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid respectively. Dortmund beat and drew with Real in the group stages, before knocking out the Spanish club in the semi-finals with a 4-3 aggregate win. “He is emotional, I am emotional, but we are full of enough respect after the whistle that normal life starts again,” added Klopp.

Mourinho described Liverpool’s decision to swap Brendan Rodgers, who previously coached at Chelsea, with Klopp as replacing “a top [manager] with another top one”, but he decried the glee that accompanied the downfall of Rodgers earlier this season, and has surrounded his own struggles.

“What I would like to understand is why some people can be so excited and happy with the perspective of somebody losing his job,” Mourinho said. “This is the only job where people get excited at that. It is sad. Brendan almost won the Premier League. He was manager of the season. And suddenly, you were really happy and working hard until he was sacked. It’s strange. I don’t belong to this world. I’m too much emotional. I hate people losing jobs.”

Mourinho said he was not concerned about his own position, despite Chelsea’s poor form. “I am not worried about that at all,” he insisted. “I don’t spend one second of my day thinking about it. I’m worried about the results. I’m worried about winning [on Saturday], about qualifying for the next round of the Champions League, about recovering positions in the table, and to go back to where Chelsea normally has to be. I’m not worried about my job.”