Graham Potter has claimed that he ‘always likes’ coming up against Liverpool as it gives him a chance to take on the best.
The Brighton & Hove Albion manager was previewing his team’s game against The Reds on Saturday for Sky Sports.
Potter said that he enjoys the challenge of facing a team as good as Liverpool.
“I always like playing against Liverpool because they’re of the best and it’s very rare that in anything in life you get to face the best,” said Potter.
“So you should look at it as a massive challenge and a massive opportunity.”
It’s an admirable position from a coach who is doing an excellent job this season. Although they’ve lost the last four games in the Premier League, Brighton sit comfortably in 13th position and are under virtually no threat of relegation.
It must be daunting for any manager to come up with a game plan against this Liverpool team. As Potter points out, Jurgen Klopp has assembled one of the very best around.
The Brighton blues
It’s no surprise that Potter looks forward to games against Liverpool. His team are actually unbeaten in their last three against The Reds.
That included a 1-0 win at Anfield last season amidst Liverpool’s terrible six game losing streak at home.
The fixture at the Amex Stadium last season was a 1-1 draw. Diogo Jota’s delightful opener was cancelled out by a dubious looking penalty in the last minutes of the game.
Earlier this campaign Liverpool were held 2-2 at Anfield. Having gone 2-0 up in the first-half, Klopp’s team failed to see out the game and after allowing Enock Mwepu to score a long-range effort, Leandro Trossard then equalised.
If Liverpool miss out on the Premier League title by a point or two this season, they’ll look back on that game as one which really cost them.
The Reds can’t allow for the same thing to happen again on Saturday lunchtime. After being beaten on Tuesday night by Inter Milan, a first loss in 15 games, it isn’t the most comfortable of trips for Klopp and his team.
Potter is clearly excited for the game. But Liverpool must make sure he isn’t smiling once the full-time whistle blows at the Amex.
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