Sparta Prague head coach Brian Priske showed plenty of class with his comments about on Liverpool after the Reds thrashed his team 6-1 at Anfield in the Europa League tonight.
The result completed an 11-2 aggregate romp for Jurgen Klopp’s side, even though they had to negotiate some testing moments during last week’s first leg in the Czech capital.
Speaking after the second leg on Merseyside, the Dane said (via @766ers on X): “All the criticism and all the haters that there may be back in the Czech Republic, but that’s how it is. It’s a completely different level we played against. We’ve never faced something like this and maybe there will be some time before we do again.
“Liverpool is a Champions League team and they should be playing in the Champions League. They will maybe be Premier League winners in two months.
“I’m proud. We competed in some aspects in the first game in Prague, but we saw the individual quality [tonight]. It’s different level. Big, big respect to the players of Liverpool.”
Priske knows that the level of opposition his Sparta side face in the Czech top flight is, with all due respect, no comparison to this Liverpool team at its best, which they were for much of tonight.
He could’ve had a chip on his shoulder or trotted out bitter comments after his team’s galling experience, but instead he was admirably magnanimous in his post-match verdict.
The 46-year-old is to be applauded for his sporting attitude, and we wish Sparta the very best with the remainder of their season. Also, we must add that their fans were brilliant tonight, even while watching their team flounder on the pitch.
You can view Priske’s comments below, via @766ers on X (formerly Twitter):
sparta praha i pray you win the czech league pic.twitter.com/hc8uRFnwnW
— 🕸 (@766ers) March 14, 2024