Klopp gets a kick out of Reds class

3PM

JURGEN KLOPP has told teams who target Liverpool with underhand tactics: “We’ll pay you back with our football.”

The Reds manager has been increasingly frustrated in recent weeks, when his stars – in particular Sadio Mane and Mo Salah – have been singled out for serious rough stuff.

Mane has also found opponents trying to goad him to provoke a reaction to get him sent off. Three times over the past year or so, Klopp has taken him off as a precaution.

But he says the only answer from his high-flying team is to rise above it, get revenge by defeating opponents with their classy football and he even suggested the newspaper headline.

“The headline is: ‘we pay back with football’,” he said.

“It has been going on a long time, even when it was not obvious to the outside.”

Mane seems to be targeted by opponents, and against his old club Southampton it is likely there will be special plans for a special player. Klopp says he has spoken to the Senegal star about

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it. He is confident though Mane is now experienced enough to deal with it.

Asked if he has spoken to the forward, he said: “Oh yeah we did. Sometimes opponents will be really aggressive.

“Against Flamengo in the ClubWorld Cup final, Rafinha wanted to go for him after Sadio had caused him some problems when we played Bayern Munich.

“From the first second, he was really hard and having a discussion with him. Fouling him and telling him to get up, these kinds of things.”

Mane won’t fall for it though, Klopp believes. “Sadio is now of an age where he is much better at that. Not that emotional any more,” he added.

“We all need emotions, and sometimes we control them better.”

Klopp has close to a full squad available, with only Harvey Elliott on the long-term injury list. Roberto Firmino and Joe Gomez are nearing a return.