Jamie Carragher has paid tribute to both Mauricio Pochettino and Jurgen Klopp for picking strong teams in Tottenham Hotspur's and Liverpool's recent Europa League fixtures.
Klopp's Reds beat Rubin Kazan 1-0 on Thursday thanks to Jordon Ibe's first goal for the club, while
Pochettino's Spurs overcame Anderlecht 2-1.
Carragher was fulsome in his praise of both managers for taking Europe's secondary competition as seriously as the Champions League.
He told the Daily Mail: "It was great to see Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino picking close to full-strength teams in the Europa League on Thursday night.
"After Pochettino's Spurs beat Anderlecht 2-1 and Klopp's Liverpool won 1-0 at Rubin Kazan, both are very likely to qualify for the knockout stages. They could go further in Europe than our four Champions League teams and that may yet be crucial for our UEFA coefficient — the points system that decides how many Champions League places England gets as a league.
"If Liverpool and Tottenham do well, they will help preserve the Premier League's four places, which is crucial for them too."
Liverpool return to action on Sunday when they meet Crystal Palace at Anfield, and Spurs travel to local rivals Arsenal.
Paul Gorst
