FOR BETTER NOT CURSE
Klopp laughs off claim he is always the bridesmaid at finals.. never the bride
JURGEN KLOPP has dismissed his so-called cup final curse... and says winning the Champions League depends only on form.
The Liverpool manager has lost his last five major finals, including the Europa League against Sevilla with the Reds two years ago, where a second-half collapse cost them the trophy. But Klopp has sent a simple message to his team that there is no jinx – just the challenge of playing well enough to beat their opponents on the day. “It’s about putting in the best performance you possibly can. “That’s what you do and then you need a bit of luck in the crucial moments,” he said. “I’m Liverpool manager, I’m healthy, I have a fantastic family; I have a lot of luck in my life. “In finals, that’s not been the case so far, but I will keep on trying to win by playing as well as possible.” Already, the challenge against a Real Madrid side who have now reached their fourth final in five years is being judged in the context of the manager’s poor run of form in finals. Since winning the German cup in 2012 he has lost in five finals, winning only the German Super Cup in that time, but Klopp insists it is not about him, but how his players cope with Real’s vast experience. In 2013, while Dortmund boss, he lost the Champions League final to a cruel last-minute Bayern Munich winner, but he said: “How much do I want the trophy? A lot. But you mustn’t pin it on me.
“I’m completely unimportant in the whole thing, and I mean that.
“What am I supposed to have learnt from the final? Nothing changes for me personally.
“I’ve lost a few finals and I’m exactly the same as I would have been had we won them.”
Instead of any curse, the German coach believes the thing Liverpool have to overcome is much simpler – Madrid’s incredible knowledge in the competition. “They know everything, they can write their own scripts because they have experienced it four times in the last five years,” Klopp added. “There have been three dominant clubs in the last few years, and we are facing one of them. I have no problem with the situation and I don’t feel like an underdog. Liverpool were absolutely not favourites in 2005, and that was before they went 3-0 down before beating AC Milan.
“We like the role we are in. Real Madrid are a side of the highest quality going for three wins in three years, but we are Liverpool.”
And they had a message of hope from a veteran of their previous European Cup triumphs, with captain of the 1984 winning team Graeme Souness insisting both Madrid and their star player Cristiano Ronaldo (above) are past their best.
Of Ronaldo, he said: “He spends a lot of time on his bum now, complaining he’s been fouled, and plays the width of the box.
“He’s still capable of great things but, like Real, nowhere near where he was even 12 months ago.”