Klopp hails king of the cups Emery after
Liverpool bo s Jurgen Klopp labelled Villarreal counterpart Unai Emery king of the cup competitions after the Reds set up a Champions League semi-final tie with the Spanish side.Klopps team played out a thrilling 3-3 draw at home to Benfica to seal a 6-4 aggregate victory in their quarter-final tie on Wednesday, reaching the competitions final four for a joint-record 12th time amongst English clubs (level with Manchester United).They will meet Villarreal in next round after Emerys men sealed an incredible 2-1 aggregate victory over Bayern Munich one day earlier, setting up
Baron Browning Jersey their first Champions League semi-final appearance since the 2005-06 season after Samuel Chukwuezes late equaliser in Bavaria.Speaking to DAZN in Germany after watching his much-changed side progre s at Anfield,Klopp was wary of the threat posed by Villarreal in the next
Dalton Risner Jersey round, calling Emery the king of the cupsand noting they deserved their spot in the last four after eliminating two top-cla s opponents.I think Villarreal definitely deserved to go through both rounds, he said. Whoever kicks out Bayern and Juventus a 4-1 aggregate win in the last-16 deserves to be in the semi-finals.I know that Unai Emery is a bit of the king of cup competitions. Its incredible what he pulls off.Theyll have a clear plan. And by the time we meet, well have one too. Emery has earned a reputation as a cup specialist throughout his career, winning four Europa League titles with
Mike Boone Jersey Sevilla (three) and Villarreal (one), as well as lifting seven trophies during his time with Paris Saint-Germain.The former Arsenal bo s will compete in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time later this month,advancing to this stage in his seventh season in the competition.Klopp, meanwhile, has reached the final four for the fourth time in his career, three of which have come with the Reds (the other with Boru sia Dortmund). Only Sir Alex Ferguson has reached this stage more times (seven) as the manager of an English club.Meanwhile, Liverpools two meetings with Villarreal will take place either side of a Premier League trip to Newcastle on April 30, and Klopp made clear his frustration at having to face an early kick-off on Tyneside between the two legs.Ive just spoken to BT Sport who will televisethe Newcastle game
Rojesterman Farris Jersey and pointed out to them again that this is a c**p kick-off time, Klopp added.We want to play all the games that are coming up,no problem at all. But it doesnt have to be that they let us play 12:30 on Saturdays and then see how it goes, for no reason. I will never understand that.The 54-year-old did, however, acknowledge that Liverpools congested fixture list was the result of an exceptional season to date, and was something to be embraced.Its the best end-of-
Malik Reed Jersey season run you can have, he added. Because we only play so many times because we get so far in the different competitions.Liverpool remain in the huntfor a historic quadruple after overcoming Benfica, and face Premier League title rivals Manchester City for a place in the FA Cup final on Saturday.