Jürgen: My admiration Ranieri and Leicester

Prior to the Italian taking the Foxes job over the summer, he visited Klopp at Borussia Dortmund in order to observe his training sessions and study his methods.

The pair will meet again on the touchline at Anfield on Boxing Day, with the visitors leading the English top-flight after a start to the season that has surprised many observers.

Reflecting on his last encounter with Ranieri, Klopp said: “It was very good for me and a huge honour because Claudio Ranieri is one of the most experienced and most successful coaches in the world.

“It’s always interesting to talk to people like him and that’s what we did. There’s big respect from both sides. He will always stay successful in his managerial career.

“I have big respect for Claudio and the whole Leicester squad because they are doing really well. If you’re not playing against them, then they are easy to enjoy.”

Leicester's charge to the summit of the Premier League has seen their odds to claim the title shorten significantly - but Klopp is not shocked by their progress.

“I’m not surprised.” he added. “That’s how football works, you need to use and take your chances. That’s what they do.

"They don’t need too many chances to score goals. They have two obvious strong strikers with perfect runs, no injuries, can go all week and they have a long week to train and recover.

“You have to use this situation and that’s what they’ve done. It’s really deserved and I’m not surprised anymore, nobody is. This is real quality. They have a real style to their play and that’s successful.

“It’s no coincidence, it’s really hard work. They deserve the run they are in. It’s good defending and nearly perfect counter-attacking football, it’s really quick and high quality.

"They have had luck with injuries, in not [suffering] too many. That’s what you need in situations like Leicester.”