Pep Guardiola took notice of Liverpool's result against Atalanta in the Champions League ahead of their visit to Manchester City this week.
The Premier League champions have not been as mean at the back this season and a serious injury to Virgil van Dijk will not help their efforts to keep opponents out over the course of the campaign.
Guardiola again wished Van Dijk well in his recovery and would rather have two fully-fit teams to be able to put on the best spectacle possible. However, he is aware that Jurgen Klopp still has plenty of talent at his disposal even without the Dutch colossus at the back and was impressed by their midweek win over an Italian side that the City boss likened to going to the dentist after leaving the San Siro with a 1-1 draw.
"The most important thing is that the surgery was good and I hope he can recover as quickly and as soon as possible," said Guardiola of Van Dijk. "I will miss him, I like to play with the best players on the pitch.
"Liverpool remains an incredibly top team because the structure is there, every player knows exactly what they have to do. The result in Italy against Atalanta - we faced them last season and we beat them 5-1 at home but we know how hard it is to beat them away - and they did it. That's why Liverpool remains a top class team."
