Berlin (AP) - Liverpool's master coach Jürgen Klopp considers FC Bayern Munich to be the deserved Champions League winner.
"Both teams can play better, so we don't have to talk about it. But Bayern wanted it more - although Paris wanted it very much. Paris really wanted it, you could tell," said the former Bundesliga coach on ZDF. The team of coach Hansi Flick "deserved to win" because they had used their chances.
The star ensemble around world-class goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and top scorer Robert Lewandowski had won the Champions League final 1-0 against Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday evening. Flick was hired as an assistant trainer last summer and succeeded him after separating from Niko Kovac in November.
It is always very difficult to get a top performance in the last game of a long season, said Klopp. But both finalists would have had an "absolutely top team". Bayern would have "had a little luck, but they didn't need much. And that's why they deserved to win," said the 53-year-old coach of English soccer champions Liverpool FC.
Klopp had a very special praise for his colleague Flick, who led the German record champions to the title in the Bundesliga, the cup victory and the triumph in the European premier class. "I don't even know how many triple coaches FC Bayern have, but I think there aren't many," said Klopp. "Good: Then it's Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick. So, writing more history in eight months is somewhat difficult."
Bayern are "at the moment definitely one of the absolute, absolute top teams," emphasized the former Bundesliga coach. "The squad is sensationally equipped. There are absolutely world-class players of the right age in all positions - there really isn't much to complain about."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 200825-99-295976 / 2
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