‘Things can always slightly boil over… but my respect for Klopp will never change’: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard insists it’s nothing personal with the Liverpool boss despite Anfield touchline fireworks
- Lampard and Klopp face each other for first time since Anfield clash this Sunday
- Chelsea boss told his Liverpool counterpart to ‘f*** off’ during July encounter
- Their war of words continued with Klopp hitting back over lavish spending
- But Lampard insists there isn’t a rivalry between him and the German manager
Frank Lampard insists there is nothing personal between him and Jurgen Klopp but admits fierce personal rivalries come with the territory at those clubs who compete for the biggest prizes.
Lampard has clashed more than once with Klopp since his return to Chelsea as manager, reigniting the fierce rivalry with Liverpool, which emerged when he was a player at Stamford Bridge.
The pair became embroiled in a touchline row at Anfield in July, when Lampard warned Liverpool not to get ‘too arrogant’ and Klopp hit back with jibes about Chelsea’s lavish spending after he was beaten to the signing of Timo Werner.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has insisted there is nothing personal with Jurgen Klopp
Lampard and Klopp argued on the Anfield touchline during a fiery encounter back in July
Lampard said: ‘If you are two teams pushing and driving to be successful, we had it in our years where I was a player here.
‘Chelsea were competing to win the leagues here and Liverpool not so much. In the Champions League, we drew each other a lot and those games were ultra-competitive and difficult for us always.
‘In the last few years, Liverpool have been fighting at the top of the league and last year they win it. With competition like that, we are in a position where we are trying to improve, trying to close that gap.
‘It means both squads, coaches and fan bases, etc, that are very driven to win and that’s what the Premier League is all about.’
Lampard, however, insisted he had great admiration for Klopp as a coach and his work at Liverpool.
Klopp and Lampard meet for the first time since they had a touchline spat during the summer
Both managers have insisted there is no personal rivalry ahead of their latest meeting
‘I have got a huge amount of respect for him as a manager, I always have,’ said the Chelsea manager.
‘What he has done at Liverpool in the course of time has been incredible and that’s on him as the focal point of the club.
‘There’s nothing in it for me. The competitive nature of the 90 minutes can always slightly boil over in different directions. The respect I have for Jurgen Klopp will never change.’
The modern rivalry and mutual animosity between erupted in 2004 when Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez took charge of the two teams.
Lampard pictured on the training ground this week as Chelsea prepare to face Liverpool
Lampard was at the heart of the Chelsea team at the time and enjoyed the adrenalin.
‘As a player I always felt that, the adrenaline and a feeling for a game at this level, that a team like Liverpool would always put more on the game,’ he said.
‘And as a manager and a coach you understand it yourself. So you want to do well in them, that’s what we’re in it for.’
Lampard confirmed Chelsea will be without Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Ben Chilwell, who are all injured. Thiago Silva is not ready to be involved after his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain.