The Reds host the Cherries at Anfield on Saturday seeking their maiden victory in the Premier League this season, following draws with Fulham and Crystal Palace and defeat at Manchester United.
Speaking to the media at the AXA Training Centre, the manager reflected on the campaign so far and outlined how the responsibility to turn things around is collective.
Read a summary of the briefing – in addition to Klopp’s update on injuries and the transfer window – below…
On what he can do as part of responding to difficult periods on the pitch…
Yeah, it’s my job actually. I’m a supporter of this team as well but it’s not my main job – my main job is to put things right. I could learn a lot in my life when things didn’t go well. It’s not my favourite situation but I like it as well, it’s a part of the job as well. I have to be careful with the language but to ‘regroup’ – not that we are not a group, but it’s like to find the perfect way together again, to fight the outside world, to fight all the circumstances, not to suffer. The news are not great, the games are the games.
I think in the past we played much worse games at United and this day the really disappointing part about it from our point of view in this game is nothing to do with injuries, nothing to do with anything else – I know how it sounds but we should have won this game. We should. With all the things, doing here a little bit better, here a little bit better. Now it’s my job to figure out why we didn’t do better in these moments, what’s wrong.
In a situation like this maybe there’s a moment when you just realise, oh, something changed, it’s difficult, injuries hitting. But injuries were not at all the problem at United because the team we could line up was absolutely more than good enough to play a top game. With 70 per cent possession against a counter-attacking team, it’s good and shows the problem as well in the same moment. So I’m completely ready for that now. That’s maybe not the most important thing but maybe a little bit helpful as well.
I want to fight through this. Players come back, stuff like this, and we will get better results, building on that and go from there. All the things we achieved in the past are not important in the moment, really not. We don’t feel it, we don’t rely on it, nothing at all. But it’s always new; the new season is different, for different reasons. In one out of four games we didn’t perform at all, that was Fulham, and in other games we did good stuff as well. Not good enough, or maybe not often enough in the games, but that’s it. Now our next chance is Bournemouth and that’s the one I’m really looking forward to. With all the respect I have for Scott [Parker] and what Bournemouth are doing. I don’t take anything for granted, not at all. But I want to be the one team really nobody wants to play against again – immediately. That’s the plan for tomorrow.
On his assessment of Bournemouth…
Played a super season last year, what an achievement that is to get immediately promoted again. Absolutely class. Scott coming in new and doing the job he did, really cool. Had some injuries as well, key players now at the start, but anyway got results. Tough programme for the beginning, I would say, the last two games especially. I only read a little bit, so obviously they worked on system changes, playing with five at the back, might go back to four at the back, I don’t know. Obviously that’s nothing we can really influence, we just have to use it in the moment when the game starts. That’s it.
On his reaction to the tragic death of Olivia Pratt-Korbel in Liver
pool this week…
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