By Dominic King for the Daily Mail
Published: 22:12 BST, 16 April 2019 | Updated: 22:14 BST, 16 April 2019
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Liverpool arrived in Portugal late on Tuesday night to be greeted by a compliment from Porto manager Sergio Conceicao that was as unexpected as it was gushing.
'I like their game model,' Conceicao purred, while Liverpool were in transit. 'I like the way they play and the way they are with the ball — and without it also. It is similar to how I see football. In a lot of these moments in a game, they are the best team in the world.'
They were, as Jurgen Klopp and James Milner were quick to recognise, nice words but while Liverpool's manager raised an eyebrow about the legitimacy of the sentiment — an attempt, perhaps, to lure them into a false sense of security — his vice- captain went about pulling the claim apart.
Jurgen Klopp spoke to the media at Porto's Dragao Stadium on the eve of Wednesday's match
Though Liverpool's form is blistering and they are odds-on to reach the Champions League semi-finals, having beaten Porto 2-0 in their first meeting at Anfield last Tuesday, one major facet must change for Conceicao's words to have real substance. Milner was only too eager to point this out.
'You get those compliments by playing good football over a sustained period of time,' said Milner, whose calming presence will be crucial in the Estadio do Dragao. 'But to be that, I think you have to win trophies. That's something we haven't done yet and it's something we are trying to do. Not getting over the line is disappointing, but we have the opportunity to change that. That first one is always the hardest.
'It's down to us to prove it and win these games — and hopefully win at least one trophy this season. There are a lot of good teams between us and
