Jurgen Klopp can help Ralf Rangnick beat Man City with Manchester United

04.03.2022 - 09:53 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Around two decades ago, Ralf Rangnick faced Jurgen Klopp while in charge of Hannover 96 in the Bundesliga. The two coaches weren't personal friends at the time, but their coaching styles appeared to be similar.

Shortly after the contest, Rangnick called Klopp to ask him questions about one of his upcoming opponents. The team in question had faced Klopp's Mainz outfit just days earlier, and Rangnick was keen to pick his brain for information.

The duo have shared a distant relationship since but this weekend, Rangnick could once again use Klopp to shape his tactics for a specific opponent. His team are scheduled to face Klopp's title rivals Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

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Pep Guardiola's side are incredibly difficult to beat, but the Liverpool boss has proved to be more successful than most of his peers when it comes to inflicting damage upon the Etihad.

Of all the coaches who Guardiola has faced more than six times in his career, his record against Klopp is his worst — followed by none other than Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in second place. He averages just 1.41 points-per-game against Klopp.

Rangnick could once again seek assistance from Klopp but rather than calling him directly and conversing over the phone as he did in Germany all those years ago, he could use his tactical blueprint from previous meetings as a template from which to work.

When facing City, especially at the Etihad, Klopp tends to instruct his players to refrain from pressing high up the field. Instead, Liverpool typically focus on blocking the centre of the park using a narrow formation around the centre circle.

"What does City want to do? They want to