Jurgen Klopp's former coach pushing for EFL promotion hails ex-Liverpool boss' influence

Swansea manager Matos, who worked under Klopp at Liverpool, credits the German's influence after his side thrashed Blackburn 4-0 to consolidate second place in the Championship.

Swansea City strengthened their promotion push with a commanding 4-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, moving to second in the Championship after 13 games. Manager Rúben Matos, who spent five years as an elite development coach at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp before taking the Swans job in November 2025, acknowledged the German's lasting influence on his managerial approach. Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray noted the performance reminded him of Klopp's Liverpool sides, prompting Matos to reflect on his time at Anfield. "There's a lot of Jürgen; there's a lot of influence on how I shape myself in terms of being a manager and in terms of game ideas," Matos told talkSPORT. "Having that as an experience, of course, it influences a lot of me, and it influences a lot of the way I see football."

The victory came as a response to Swansea's heaviest defeat under Matos—a 5-0 loss at Queens Park Rangers the previous weekend. Despite that setback, the Welsh club have recovered impressively since Matos arrived, turning around what had been their worst start to a season since their 2018 Premier League relegation.