My Kop boys have Philled the hole left by Coutinho
Klopp admits Brazilian’s exit could have cost Reds as he asks stars to roar in Rome
JURGEN KLOPP believes selling Philippe Coutinho has been the making of his Liverpool players.
He says the £142million departure of the Brazilian to Barcelona in January could have derailed their season but instead reckons the team he has built is good enough to match the great Liverpool sides of the past.
But Klopp admits he could never have predicted they would be standing on the brink of qualifying for the club’s eighth Champions League Final against Roma tonight at the beginning of the campaign.
Klopp said: “If this team goes to the Final it would be an outstanding achievement. It’s something we did not expect at the start of the season.
“We were not even qualified for the Champions League and I don’t know who else reached the semis having been a qualifier. The boys really stepped up. Losing a player like Phil is big on the outside and we tried to sort it.
“The players obviously missed him, and they miss him still because he is a fantastic boy, but they stepped up and played football.
“I don’t think people are interested in semi-final losers, same as final losers. I could write a book about that – we all know that.
“But the only way to win something is to go the whole way. You try everything to win – there are no guarantees you get it – so I don’t feel like we are in the Final, I only care about these 95 minutes.”
But Klopp believes the 5-2 result at Anfield shows his players are ready to start tasting European success.
He said: “They are at the best football age. Too young to say they are experienced but already that good you think, ‘Okay, we could do something special.’ “We already have done some special things, not really historical that we can put in any cupboard, but still good.
“We want to keep this group together, plus if possible bring in a few really nice add-ons.
“In the end there will be a team at Liverpool that wins silverware and we all hope we are involved in that.”
The players will have to stand up to an intense atmosphere in Rome but Klopp insists they are used to the pressure.
He said: “We are Liverpool so somebody kicks our ass constantly. It is not possible in this club to stand still.
“And I have seen a lot of development, fantastic goals and big developments.”
He would never say it but he decided to sell Coutinho
because he felt the Brazilian’s attempts to force a move to Barca could offer a bigger threat to his side’s trophy hunt than keeping him in the team.
The midfielder’s convenient back injury and his agent’s robust tactics to get him out of Anfield almost scuppered their Champions League hopes before they started as their qualifying tie with Hoffenheim was swamped in speculation.
The Reds then almost blew the dream by showing far too much respect and fear in the first half of the quarter-final second leg at Man City.
And midfielder Gini Wijnaldum has promised they will not make the same mistake as they prepare for another huge test.
He said: “We weren’t ready for what was to come. There was a warning for us with the way we played against City. We can create chances if we play our own game.”