I’M NOT AN IDIOT!
BOSS KLOPP REAFFIRMS FAITH IN HIS REDS
CHELSEA V LIVERPOOL FA CUP 5TH RD
JURGEN KLOPP insisted he would be an “idiot” if he did not keep total faith with his wounded Liverpool side.
The Reds manager revealed he held a team meeting the day after Saturday’s shock 3-0 defeat at Watford but explained he did not exchange harsh words with the players.
Instead, Klopp told them he knows they will bounce back by showing their mental strength, following the end of a remarkable 44-game Premier League unbeaten run, which is the second-longest in English top-flight history.
Ahead of a mouth-watering and now significant FA Cup clash against Chelsea tonight, Klopp said: “I am not a little bit in doubt about the character of the boys and I would be a real idiot if I would be, to be honest.
“They deserve my trust, my faith and they don’t lose it after a bad game.
“It can happen that I get angry with the players but I didn’t get angry with the players in this meeting.
“From a common sense point of view, if I go into that meeting and shout at them like they have lost the past 10 games in a row because of a bad attitude, that would be really strange.”
While Klopp now wants his side to learn from their defeat at Watford, and the underlying causes, the team that surrendered their record-breaking 18-match league winning streak will not get an immediate chance. He hinted he will make wholesale changes, with those squad members who have played few games recently getting a chance. But he hit out when questioned whether his side showed they are hurt by defeat and ready to react during the team meeting. “How can I now think these boys sit there and are happy that they lost?” said Klopp. “Of course, they want to strike back. This is an exceptional group of players. “They did outstanding stuff – not that night, we were just not good enough. “I can neither ignore the game they played against Watford nor the rest of it before.”
Chelsea is a tricky away trip and Liverpool also face a struggle in the Champions League, where they trail Atletico Madrid 1-0 going into the second leg.
Liverpool could win the league before the end of March, so defeat in both the FA Cup and Champions League would mean their season is ended early.
But Klopp bristled at the suggestion that scenario might persuade him to go harder with a more senior selection at Stamford Bridge. He said: “I’m not sure if you saw that
BLACKPOOL have named ❑
Liverpool Under-23s boss Neil Critchley as their new manager — with an endorsement from Jurgen Klopp.
Critchley, 41, twice took charge of the first team this season, with Klopp absent for their 5-0 Carabao Cup defeat at Aston Villa and the 1-0 FA Cup win over Shrewsbury.
Klopp said: “It shows it’s possible you can make your way as a youth or Under-23s coach, that’s always what we wanted.”
but we go really hard in all the games. If you invest 100 per cent, how can you invest more?
“How can I take a risk with a player who played on Saturday with all the little bits of information from everywhere? No, I can’t. “If I think we need another option, I will do it. I want to win this game.
“I don’t think, ‘Send the reserves out against Chelsea’. We are not like this.”
Naby Keita has a minor hip injury and will miss the tie but James Milner and Joe Gomez are fit.