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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has taken team to next level - Kelly

Former Liverpool defender Martin Kelly believes Jurgen Klopp has taken Liverpool to the "next level."

Kelly, preparing to return to Anfield with Crystal Palace at the weekend, came through the ranks at Liverpool's Kirkby academy and made 62 first-team appearances before joining Palace in 2014.

He said he had been impressed by what he had seen since Klopp took over in October 2015 and told the official Liverpool website: "I think you can see the change Klopp's made.

"He's taken the team and the brand of Liverpool to the next level in terms of the squad, and the players he's got in the team fit into the way he wants to play, with the high press.

"It's going to be exciting for the fans, the season ticket holders, to go and watch Liverpool week in, week out because they know they're going to get the attacking style of play that they expect."

Palace head into Saturday's match, having beaten Liverpool in their last three visits to Anfield, and Kelly said: "We usually get some good results against the bigger sides, and we went there with a gameplan and it worked.

"We let Liverpool have the majority of the possession but we'd use our pace to counter-attack and that's worked well over the past few games we've played at Anfield. It's been good to get the results there.

"It's still the strangest stadium to go back to. I was there from the age of seven, so it was my childhood dream to get through the ranks and to play for Liverpool.

"It was strange the first time but it's the fourth time now so you become a bit more accustomed to it. It's still, for me, one of the best grounds in the Premier League to go to."