'He turned them into a results machine' - Klopp praises 'very impressive' Tottenham under Mourinho

Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has praised Tottenham's performance under Jose Mourinho, saying the Portuguese manager has turned Spurs into a "results machine".

The two sides will meet on Wednesday in a top-of-the-table showdown, with Spurs and Liverpool level on points on top of the Premier League. 

After losing their Premier League opener, Tottenham have gone 11 straight matches without defeat to cement their status as title challengers. 

Klopp has been impressed by the work his counterpart has done in north London, saying those who felt Mourinho's best coaching years were behind him have been proven wrong. 

“I’m not surprised, because that’s the world we are living in – you are very successful until yesterday," Klopp said at his pre-game press conference. "If you cannot prove it today, then people go for you. I don’t think he was surprised at that, but he showed comeback skills. Very impressive what they did at Tottenham, the way they played this year is really good.

"He turned them into a results machine, that’s how it is. They have good performances, and if they are not on top form they still win. They defend collectively, very impressive.”

Spurs have been led this season by the dynamic duo of Son Heung-min and Harry Kane, but Klopp was eager to point out that the two players are hardly the only threat Tottenham possess.

"Yes [Kane and Son are a priority] but then unfortunately if you keep them quiet there are still a lot of really good players. It’s now a proper team, with threats from a lot of areas on the pitch," Klopp said.

“[Steven] Bergwijn plays an important role, especially in their counter-attacking moments. [Tanguy] Ndombele needed a little longer to settle but is now 100 per cent there. He shares the job a little bit with [Giovani] Lo Celso, [Moussa] Sissoko.

"With [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg, it’s a proper midfield unit and together with the last line, it obviously works pretty well, especially with [Hugo] Lloris a top-class goalie."

Liverpool ran away with the Premier League title in 2019-20, but the race is shaping up to be much closer this season as teams deal with a condensed fixture list. 

Only five points separate first-place Spurs and Manchester United in eighth, and Klopp feels that the standings could be tight throughout the entire season. 

Asked if he thinks this season will be the closest title race in years, Klopp replied: “It looks like it. I don’t know how it will be in February, March, April and May, but in the moment it looks like it. There are always a lot of really good teams, but some of them have run not so much this year and that obviously keeps us all together. Nice for the people!”