‘Fantastic’: Antonio Conte wowed by £192k-a-week Liverpool man

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has praised Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for the “fantastic” job he’s done with the Reds.

Spurs take on Liverpool at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

While Tottenham’s form has picked up under Conte, Spurs will be up against an opponent back to their best.

Since Klopp took over at Liverpool in 2015, he has turned a previously underachieving team back into a behemoth.

The Reds have won the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup under Klopp.

That said, it took the £192,000-a-week coach a while to work his magic, finishing eighth in 2015-16 and fourth the following two campaigns.

Liverpool also suffered last season due to a spate of injuries to key players, though they still secured a Champions League place.

Now the Reds have the likes of Virgil van Dijk back, they’re dominating in England and Europe once again.

Conte has a superb CV of his own, but he’s got a lot of work to do to get Spurs back up to top levels.

The Italian, speaking to Sky Sports, has referenced Liverpool as a template for success.

“On Sunday, we play against a team that can teach us a lot,” said Conte.

“Because I think Jurgen Klopp, when he arrived at Liverpool, he started a fantastic job.

“But the first season they didn’t [achieve] so much, but the work began.

“If you want to reach this level, you need work, time, patience and investment [on transfers].”

Conte made similar comments to the Tottenham media team.

“I think Jurgen made a fantastic job with Liverpool,” he said.

“He needed a bit of time, but the club understood Jurgen was the right person and he has created a strong, strong team.”