Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has welcomed efforts to improve relations with Manchester City.
Ahead of Thursday’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie at the Etihad Stadium, both clubs made concerted efforts to draw a line under their recent feuding.
Talks took place between senior officials from the Anfield club and City well as their fan representatives as part of the attempted reconciliation process.
The Reds’ CEO Billy Hogan and opposite number Ferran Soriano also wrote to supporters to remind them of a need to stamp out unacceptable behaviour.
And Lijnders believes the thawing of relations since October’s acrimonious Premier League encounter on Merseyside must be seen as a positive step.
He said: “It’s very positive that both clubs are cooperating. Ferran and Billy made a good statement.
“I worked at Porto for seven years and PSV Eindhoven for five years and the rivalry between PSV, Feyenoord and Ajax was from a different level.
“The rivalry between Porto, Benfica and Sporting was a different level. The only reason it’s a rivalry is because the games matter, the games are decisive.
“Tomorrow is a decisive game, but playing against City has this importance.
“With rivalry comes emotion and that’s good because we need emotions from the stand, we need emotion for our players.
“The only problem with emotion is when there’s no respect, then it becomes really harmful and that can’t happen.
“It happened, but it’s positive that both clubs are cooperating.”
Lijnders also acknowledged the onus on Jurgen Klopp and his staff to uphold the high standards after the German was sent off in the previous meeting.
“Top sport is emotion. It’s going to edges. Top sport is seeing the line that you want to go over but you halt yourself,” he added.
“I think the ones who control their emotions are the ones who go furthest.
“Control your emotions, don’t let the emotions control you. We are an example of that in our team.”