David Moyes admitted he will be “glad to see the back” of Jurgen Klopp, who he says has shown himself to be “the daddy” at Liverpool during his nine-year tenure.
In the final meeting between the managers before Klopp leaves Liverpool at the end of the season, West Ham earned a 2-2 draw against Liverpool on Saturday as they kept their European hopes alive and ended the Reds’ title charge.
Moyes, who managed Liverpool’s two great rivals Everton and Manchester United before his two spells as West Ham manager, was complimentary as he spoke about Klopp’s legacy.
He said jokingly of the German: “I’ll be glad he’s gone. He’s f***ing too big, his teeth are too bright. I hate saying it because I’ve worked against him in the other clubs that are probably their biggest rivals, but I think he’s been immense for Liverpool. He really has been.
“I think he’s the daddy there, I really do. He’s been able to control a big football club, which is not an easy thing to do at times. I am glad to see the back of him, I’ve got to say. But the Premier League brings in lots of managers from different places.
“Some come and go very quickly. Some can last the course — Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex [Ferguson], Pep [Guardiola], Arsene [Wenger], obviously Jurgen — others can’t last that course. I have to say Jurgen has been really good for Liverpool.”
He added, as if speaking directly to Klopp: “Hurry up and get away; I’ll be pleased to see you move on. To manage a club like Liverpool you have to be very good, and he’s very good at his job.”
Moyes was upbeat about how his side responded to their worst defeat of the season last Sunday, when they lost 5-2 at Crystal Palace.
“I’m incredibly pleased with the way they’ve shown character, as much as coming from 2-1 down today as coming on the back of a stinking result last week,” he said.
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“They stuck at it against a really good team who made it difficult for us to get large portions of possession. We’ve done it quite often to a lot of the bigger sides here this season — Tottenham, Man United, Chelsea — so maybe you shouldn’t be too surprised that we’ve bloodied somebody’s nose.
“We’d have liked three points but just weren’t quite good enough for that. I thought that Liverpool were the better team.”