‘He mellowed’: James Milner says ‘aggressive’ Liverpool man seems to be so much calmer now

James Milner has had the pleasure of working with some of the very best managers in world football.

He worked under the legendary Sir Bobby Robson during a spell at Newcastle, he had both Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini as mentors for a time at Manchester City, while Roberto De Zerbi is his current gaffer at Brighton.

However, the most successful period of Milner’s career came working under Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, and speaking on Brighton’s YouTube channel, the midfielder has now given his verdict on what it was like to work under the German.

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Milner gives his verdict on Klopp

The Brighton ace spoke about his former gaffer.

“Yeah, I think he mellowed over his time at Liverpool. He kept that fire when he needed it, but at the start he was very fiery and very aggressive. He had to get across his way of playing, his standards and what was expected early on. He adapted to English football and the differences between playing every three days and over Christmas. He was very successful in how he did it, but yeah, it was amazing to be a part of that journey, to see him come in from the start and see how the team developed and get to the point where we could beat any team,” Milner said.

Different

Milner is right, Klopp does seem like a different character now than when he arrived in England.

At the beginning, Klopp was constantly raging on the touchline, he’d shout at his players constantly and he made it very clear what he was expecting.

Now, he’s a bit more subdued. The squad almost seems to manage itself at times, and the gaffer no longer needs to stamp his authority so blatantly.

Klopp has mellowed over the past few years at Liverpool, that’s for sure.

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