Jurgen Klopp on MNF – The Key Points
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp appeared on Sky Sports Monday Night Football alongside former Reds’ defender Jamie Carragher to discuss a number of different topics about his team and football as a whole.
For those who missed the show or simply haven’t got the time to go through an hour’s worth of footage, here are some of the key points that the manager made:
Klopp on... the league table
“It’s not the worst we’ve had, maybe it’s the best since I’ve been here! The problem is the one number; six games, so it’s quite an early stage. I’m happy about this but I know there’s a long way to go. Everybody asks which is the best team in league and I have no idea, but that seven or eight teams think they should be top of the table or top of the league, that’s quite interesting and we all have to cope with it. It’s good for everybody that watches it and we have to deal with the pressure.”
Klopp on... losing to Burnley
“I was speaking to someone the other day and they said: 82% percent and you lose 2-0, I don’t know any other sport this is possible! They deserved to win. They scored two goals. We took it, we learned from it, it wasn’t an experience that we want to have again. We had all this creativity in the buildup, in the midfield all was good, then the last third we didn’t have many options. One pass more, and we would’ve been brilliant.”
Klopp on... Liverpool being second favourites to win the league
“I am so happy! I don’t even understand those numbers. I have never had a bet in my life. Where I come from you keep your money, you don’t do things like this!”
Klopp on... defending set-pieces
“We have improved already. It’s not a big number but we still have to work on it. We don’t have the tallest team in the league. I need to make them taller!”
“We don’t have the physical quality for set-piece defending so we need to find creative solutions like Wijnaldum blocking. Henderson and Lallana have to block and the rest, our best headers, have to be in the situation. But for that goal we only watched the ball, we weren’t really in the situation.”
“When I had a lot of tall players we did man marking because we could make an advantage in the challenge. Here we have to find a solution. It looks much better in training!! We have to work at it. Most teams struggle sometimes from set-pieces because it’s different here to other countries in the six-yard box.”
Klopp on... counterpressing
“Counterpressing makes exactly the same [influence as a playmaker]. No playmaker in the world can be as good as a good counterpressing situation. It’s all about timing, but if you the timing’s not good you have to run a bit more. It’s about putting pressure on the one player.
Klopp on... celebrating tackles
“I’m a little bit more excited about it than the rest around me ! It is a mini-goal if you like. It’s only because I know what it means for the game in general.”
Klopp on... defending from the front
“The number nine and number ten can split the pitch for us. We can’t avoid a long ball for the left-back, but to defend as a team you need somebody who gives you a sign. If they play on a specific side, don’t close the gap, it’s being really compact in all the situations. These players close the gaps and defend the number six together. We defend in like a 4-4-2, because the number six is then in the centre. It’s all about timing, giving the opportunity. If you play really high, they don’t play.”
Klopp on... Sadio Mane
“Sadio brings a new quality [to the side] with his speed, that’s really nice!”
Klopp on... Roberto Firmino
“Roberto is a player who is always involved in all offensive and defensive action. He has a natural skill. He doesn’t think too much, he’s an instinct player. He can play in nearly all offensive positions.”
“He has the physical ability to be in the centre and that’s the toughest job physically as you are involved on both sides. When we are a bit deeper, he’s involved. He always has a job to do.”
Klopp on... improving players
“It’s all about the players. As a manager, you have to use the skills of the players. I couldn’t do these things as a player. It’s about showing them the routes and the ways they can use their skills. They want to learn, they want to hear, and they’re already able to perform on a high level. That’s good!”
Klopp on... full-backs
“This kind of full-back now is more like a midfield player. They play in half-spaces, they play really high. They are wingers sometimes, sometimes the centre midfielders. The rule is: be an option in terms of getting a pass or be protection If you are an option you can be high or you can be in the half space.”
“A full-back shouldn’t be many times defending one v one. If that’s the case where is the midfielder? Full-back is a wonderful position because you are always involved. I remember speaking to [James Milner] about it first time and said what do you think? He said: ‘but I won’t get the ball.’ I said: ‘forget this, you will get the ball much more often than you can imagine’.”
Klopp on... his philosophy in one quote
“Be an option or be in protection.”
Klopp on... his attacking philosophy
“The players are all responsible to get in the opposition box. Two centre-backs and one holding player, who can be a full-back or a midfield player, but all the rest can’t say I couldn’t score. It’s about being flexible.”