Atletico midfielder Saul: 'Liverpool have perros de presa [hunting dogs] in the middle who run and press'

Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul has been nothing short of praise for Liverpool's midfield whom he called 'hunting dogs'. The 25-year-old watches the Reds closely and the way Liverpool operate in the middle of the park simply amazes him.

"They have those perros de presa [hunting dogs] in the middle who run, press," he told the Guardian. "It’s not just running for the sake of running: they do things that aren’t normal and it looks disordered but it’s ordered, mechanised.

"One comes out here and you think: 'That’s mad, why’s he there?' But the other man knows and comes from here. Klopp said they play with their heart, but it’s planned too.

"One breaks out to press, wild, but they follow. It’s very hard to escape when they come at you like that. It’s incredible: they press like animals because they know that even if they get turned there will be seven of them running like mad to get back.

"Liverpool are very complete, a great team in every area [but] they find it hardest when you’re deep because they’re very, very, very good in transition.

"I watched them against Norwich and if it wasn’t for Mané’s extraordinary control, they don’t win. They’ve won lots of games they could have drawn or lost, which tells you something about what they have inside. It’s not luck. It’s work, sacrifice, not giving up a single ball for lost."

Liverpool will be looking for another win tomorrow when the Reds face the Rojiblancos at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid.