Jose Mourinho: Win is all down to Juergen Klopp
Ex-United boss believes Liverpool are a reflection of their manager
Liverpool's stunning victory over Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals yesterday morning (Singapore time) was made possible by the belief manager Juergen Klopp's has instilled in his squad, according to Jose Mourinho.
Liverpool produced one of the greatest comebacks in the competition's history to beat Barcelona 4-0, overturning a three-goal first-leg deficit to advance to their second consecutive final with a 4-3 aggregate victory.
"For me, this has one name - Juergen," Mourinho, who led Porto and Inter Milan to the Champions League title, told beIN Sports.
"This is about him. This is a reflection of his personality - don't give up - his fighting spirit, every player giving everything.
"He's not crying because he's missing (injured) players, he's not crying because they're playing 50 or 60 matches a season... Today is about Juergen's mentality.
"This is not about tactics, not about philosophy.
"This is about heart and soul and fantastic empathy he has created with that group of players."
Reds captain Jordan Henderson seemed to back up Mourinho's point, saying: "From the talk he gave before the game before we came to the stadium, I think the players could see that the manager believed, which helped us believe in what he said.
"He said we can enjoy the night and maybe tell the grandkids one day it was a special night.
"The manager has ingrained that belief into us: No matter what happens, you keep fighting right until the final whistle."
Liverpool risked finishing the season without a trophy with Manchester City leading the English Premier League title race with one game to go and Barcelona heavy favourites to advance to the final after a commanding win at the Nou Camp.
But the thrilling victory over the Spanish champions gave the Merseyside club a chance of winning a sixth European Cup when they face either Tottenham Hotspur or Ajax Amsterdam in the final on June 1.
Klopp's side were only the third team in the history of Europe's top club competition to come from three goals down after the first leg of a semi-final and progress, matching Panathinaikos in 1970/71 and Barcelona in 1985/86.
"I didn't expect (this result)," Mourinho, who also managed Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United, added.
"I said if it's possible, Anfield is one of the places to make it possible. They were at risk of finishing a fantastic season with nothing to celebrate and now they are one step away from being European champions."
Klopp, meanwhile, said the win was "unbelievable" and paid tribute to the belief his players had shown.
He said: "What the boys did - this mix, again, of big heart and football skills - is unbelievable.
"But... we didn't learn it in the first game, we knew it before already.
"I said to the boys before the game: 'I don't think it's possible but, because it's you, I think we have a chance' - is because they are really mentality giants." - REUTERS
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