David Wagner delivered a good luck message to Jürgen Klopp after he announced he will leave Liverpool at the end of the season. The Norwich City boss has also suggested a quadruple could be possible for the Reds this season.
Klopp was inevitably the center of attention at Anfield for his first game since making his announcement on Friday. Liverpool cruised to a 5-2 win thanks to goals from Curtis Jones, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch.
The win takes the Reds through to the fifth round of the FA Cup as a result, where they will meet either Watford or Southampton, with those two sides facing a replay. It also of course means Liverpool remains in the hunt for four trophies this season.
It was somewhat fitting that Klopp was pitted against Wagner for his first game since announcing his impending departure. The pair are good friends, with the Norwich boss having been Klopp’s best man at his wedding.
And while Wagner was disappointed to see his side go out of the cup, he admitted to being honored to have the chance to face his old friend once more before he leaves Liverpool.
“On the other side it was quite nice to be the first team taking part in this tour of English football [for Klopp],” he told BBC’s Match of the Day. “We competed against a top side. The win is fair, they were the better side and this is how we take it.
“If you like to be competitive here you have to have a top goalkeeper and a side who are brave which we were. It was difficult for us, we concede the defeat and we are unfortunately out of this competition and now I can wish Jürgen and Liverpool all the best.
“I think he got everything what he deserved, I think this goodbye tour in English football will be a great one for him and hopefully with a lot of success so I wish him from the bottom of my heart all the best for all the competitions which he is involved in and all the luck which he needs for sure as well.”
On Liverpool’s chances of winning a quadruple this season, Wagner added: “He says it’s nearly impossible and if he says it’s near impossible, I will say the same but nearly impossible means not impossible so I think he and everyone else knows exactly how difficult it is. I would love now to see how they compete and nobody knows what will happen.”
