"I'm not a friend of Jurgen" - Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho explains his relationship with Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp

Ahead of Tottenham's 2020-21 Premier League clash against Liverpool, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho spoke about his relationship with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Tottenham host Liverpool on Thursday, with a chance to overtake the Reds in the Premier League table. Liverpool are currently fifth in the league, only one point ahead of Tottenham but have played a game more than Mourinho's men.

Jose Mourinho explained that although he has a lot of respect for his German counterpart, he cannot consider Jurgen Klopp a friend due to the lack of time they've spent together.

The Spurs boss said in this regard:

"I'm not a friend of Jurgen, as I never had time with him. Nuno, he was my player. Brendan worked in my club for a couple of years together. So when you have something in common, when you know the person well, you can say 'I like him, he's my friend' or 'I don't like him, he's not my friend'. With Jurgen, it's five minutes before a match, five minutes after a match. What can I say about Jurgen? He's a colleague that I respect, that I don't have any problem with. He's the same with me, no problems at all."

Mourinho will know that any friendship will be thrown out the window when the two sides meet on Thursday.

The Spurs boss has a terrible record against Jurgen Klopp, winning only two of their previous twelve meetings, but Mourinho will hope that the two sides' current forms can have a huge effect on proceedings.

Liverpool need to beat Tottenham

Liverpool have been out of sorts of late.

For Liverpool to stay in touch with league leaders Manchester City, it is imperative that they beat Tottenham. A loss would mean that Liverpool would be seven points off the top of the table, having played a game more than Pep Guardiola's league leaders Manchester City.

Jurgen Klopp's side has failed to score in the Premier League since the turn of the year; they are currently on a 3-game winless streak in all competitions, having lost their last two.

Tottenham, on the other hand, have hit a great run of form after faltering towards the end of 2020. Jose Mourinho's men are unbeaten in eight matches and will look to make it three wins in a row against Liverpool.