Bayern Munich hitman Robert Lewandowski has recalled a lengthy chat he had with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
The Poland international played under Klopp during his four-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, whom he left in the summer of 2014 to join the defending German champions.
Life at the Westfalenstadion wasn't always easy for Lewandowski, who struggled for form during his first few outings for the Bundesliga outfit.
His fortunes, however, began to change following a long and frank chat with the charismatic and motivating Klopp.
"The first three months at Dortmund were difficult," Lewandowski recalled of his time with Dortmund during an interview with Goal . "But I still know exactly when the situation got better.
"We lost an away game in the Champions League in Marseille. At the time, I didn't really know what my position was with the coach.
"After the game, I talked to Jurgen Klopp and asked him openly what he expected from me. We spoke for almost two hours.
"I told him what was on my mind, and he explained to me what he expected from me.
"After this conversation, everything worked better. We won the next game 4-0 against Augsburg, I scored a hat-trick and got an assist."
Lewandowski holds his former manager in very high regard, saying two years ago: "He was a coach who also had a very big influence on my career and I can only be thankful to him.
"What we did together at Dortmund and the progress we made has brought us to where we are.
"I'm delighted I was able to get to know such a coach and such a person as Jürgen because he's amazing – both as a coach and a person. I learned so much from him and that means a lot."
Lewandowski and his Bayern Munich team-mates will be back in action on Saturday week, welcoming Werder Bremen to the Allianz Arena.
Klopp's Liverpool, meanwhile, will return to the pitch a week on Saturday, welcoming Leicester City to Anfield.
