Jurgen Klopp sends a message to the Liverpool squad about their future after a’strange’ admission.
Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool have a future together ahead of their latest Premier League meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The previous time Liverpool faced Wolverhampton Wanderers, Jürgen Klopp was unsatisfied with his team’s performance.
The Reds were beaten 3-0 at Molineux earlier this month, their third encounter in four weeks, with the Reds falling to a horrific defeat against a squad that had been in the relegation zone at the start of the day.
That afternoon was a watershed moment for both clubs. Klopp sat through a re-run of the match with his team the next day at the AXA Training Centre before giving them time off with the conviction “it makes sense if we don’t see each other for two days”.
Liverpool’s chances of finishing in the top four have been boosted by three consecutive Premier League clean sheets, including wins over Everton and Newcastle United, followed by Saturday’s goalless draw against Crystal Palace. Meanwhile, the Wolves have taken another four points to move further away from the relegation zone.
Plenty will be at stake when the two clubs meet at Anfield for the fourth and final time this season this evening.
“I don’t have to pick up the feeling again after that last Wolves game – the players know it anyway,” says Klopp. “But there is important information from that game which we need to use. To which extent, we will have to see.
“And one part of it will be – without saying it probably – (that) we lost there last time 3-0. It was not a cool day – it was actually the opposite of that. But the main difference is that we play at Anfield and we have to make that count as well. These are different games and even two, three weeks in between games is a long period.
“It’s a bit strange but it’s not the first time. I think once when I’m here we had Arsenal where we played them twice in four days in different competitions, stuff like this. So, we all have that from time to time, (it’s) completely fine.”
Liverpool’s disappointing season has seen them knocked out early as League Cup and FA Cup holders, trail Real Madrid 5-2 in their Champions League round-of-16 tie after the first leg at Anfield, and sit in seventh place in the Premier League table, nine points adrift of the top four despite having two games in hand.
One of those will arrive this evening. And Klopp is certain that the Reds can salvage something from the season while rebuilding for the long haul.
“We have a future together: the immediate future but there is a bigger picture as well,” he says. “We will strike back in general but now we have to make sure that we really squeeze everything out of this season that we can get.
“I don’t know in this moment what it will be but the obvious spots are not too far away from us and we will see which one we will pick up. But there is no alternative to results. So we need results and for results we need performances and performances we prepare on the training pitch, in the meeting room and then we go.
“It’s our decision how we deal with things. I know the world is a crazy place and a lot of things change, but it’s still our decision. We have values and principles and all these kind of things. In our case, we don’t want to be different – we ARE different as a club, as a group altogether. So, let’s live that. And the people did.”
Klopp adds: “I know the people applauded Modric and Benzema after the Real Madrid game, but they did for us as well. After a game like this, I think it was deserved, to be honest. The first half was good, not just the first 20 minutes. We conceded after 20. Afterwards everyone told me we had a good 20 minutes – no, we were 2-0 up then, the first half was absolutely fine and 3-2 was a proper knock and too much of a knock.
“I cannot speak for each and every person, but in general I think we have a future together.”
