Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WE ARE LIVERPOOL WE ARE DIFFERENT
Klopp remains unfazed by the challenge of beating the serial trophy collectors of Madrid
FOCUS for even a brief moment on the mindblowing quality and achievements of this current Real Madrid side, and you are dead before a ball is kicked.
Jurgen Klopp though, has an answer to those who have already announced the coronation of the regal Spanish aristocrats, as they stand on the verge of history with a third consecutive Champions League triumph.
“We are Liverpool,” he says. “We are Liverpool, and we are different.”
His message is simple. The world may assume that Madrid only need to turn up to secure their treble, and join only three other teams – the Real side of the 50s, Ajax and Bayern Munich – to have won at least three times in a row.
Yes, Zinedine Zidane’s collection of stars have swept all before them in Europe for the past three years, but Liverpool are different to every side they have played.
“We know, of course, about their quality. The crazy quality, the experience.
“The Villarreal game (last week), it was a show of confidence, of how you play football. That is their quality.
“But we are Liverpool. And that is what we will really live in that moment.
“We are different...we have been different the whole campaign and we want to be different again in that final.
“I don’t know exactly why I think it constantly but we are Liverpool.
“You go through and analyse and you see this and that, but they never played us so that’s it.
“We can be different. We are not always but we can be different. That’s really impor- tant. That’s why we are in the final.” One thing is for sure, the German coach wants Liverpool to stick to their philosophy of taking the game to even their most daunting of rivals and not wait for Madrid to go full throttle.
“You remember our goals, and maybe you remember the chances, but we had so many game-changing moments. Unbelievable,” he said. “Porto is one in my mind. Mo Salah in midfield, chasing a player from behind, gets the ball back and passes.
“The goal against Sevilla I think was counter-press, Mo Salah, surprisingly in a challenge then getting the ball before a deflected goal. So many things.
“These moments, and we had them 500 times and we need them again. You need these game-changing moments. Not waiting for something, not hoping for something, no, change the game in the moments you can change it.”
Klopp knows too, where the energy supply to play such a high tempo game will come from – the Liverpool fans who, he says, have: “Outstanding power, and that creates an outstanding power. It’s difficult to describe but fantastic to be involved in. That’s really big.
“It’s a neutral place, difficult to reach as well but I’m pretty sure our fans will find a way to go there and hopefully they
all have a ticket and can come in the stadium.
“Atmosphere in a club like Liverpool makes a difference. This club is used to it, the crowd is used to having influence, they want it.
“Now it is like both batteries are recharged, both can perform and that makes it really special, it’s big.”