Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp launches strong defence of Pep Guardiola 'overthinking' comments

Jurgen Klopp says Pep Guardiola is the best coach in the world as he defended his Manchester City counterpart in reaction to his recent comments about overthinking tactics for big games.

Guardiola joked before City's Champions League fixture with Atletico Madrid that he would take inspiration the night before and even try to play 12 players. The good-natured, tongue-in-cheek answer was in response to a question about common accusations against Guardiola that he often overthinks his approach to big games, and the reaction to his joke appears to have been taken literally by some.

Ahead of City's Premier League clash with Liverpool, Reds boss Klopp was asked about the comments and leapt to the defence of his rival Guardiola.

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"It was ironic!" said Klopp, paying Guardiola the ultimate compliment.

"You have a responsibility if you want to talk to us. There was a story in Ecuador this week that I said I didn't understand Luis Diaz!

"Pep is the best coach in the world and we all would agree on that. It might be a coincidence that it didn't work out so far in the Champions League. If anybody doubts him, I have no idea how that could happen.

"We all think a lot, it's the reason we sometimes make mistakes and sometimes we find out the right things to do. In football it's easy to think after the game and not before."

Klopp however stressed that he won't be giving his players too much information ahead of the trip to City, instead trusting them to perform as he knows they can.

He continued: "That's why we imagine what could happen, what could help, a hundred things about the opponents but in the end there must be a stop of information so the boys