TURNING THE KLOPP BACK
Jurgen’s boys thrill again
JURGEN KLOPP has a chilling message for the rest of the Premier League: “I’ve got my old Liverpool back.”
The Kop boss last week claimed he could offer no guarantee the free-flowing football of last season would return any time soon.
Klopp’s new-look team are finding a different, more resilient balance between defence and attack.
Yet the thumping of Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday had all the hallmarks of a classic Klopp-era Reds’ performance.
And it was in stark contrast to that of the laboured win at Huddersfield last weekend.
Form
When asked if he felt last season’s Liverpool was finally back, Klopp said: “Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
“It was really good – based on really good organisation.
“We scored three goals from counter-pressing situations.
“All the good things we did – playing in behind, chipping through balls, it was counter-pressing that got us the goals. “The first goal, it was probably the first counterpress situation of Shaqiri’s life! “We got the ball back, passed it and it was wonderful goal. “For the second one, we won it back, Gini Wijnaldum shipped it to Shaq, ball in and then bam. The fourth one for sure was a counterpress situation with Gini in front of the defender and passing the ball into the box.”
Klopp believes that pressing energy and ability to turn the ball over and hit opponents with ruthless efficiency is key to his side’s best attacking form.
And he will ask his team to repeat the Champions League improvement at home to Cardiff today as they look to move above Manchester City at the Premier League summit.
The German said: “It was a really good performance against Red Star. In the end it was the perfect game.
“Beforehand I said how difficult it could be. They weren’t bad, it was just that we were good.
“I was really happy with that game and the way we played, the calmness we had. The first 20 minutes the timing wasn’t good but then we calmed the game down and played football.”
One of the biggest factors in Liverpool’s lofty position is the form of defender Virgil van Dijk.
Klopp explained player power had decided to make him the Reds’ next captain in waiting.
He revealed he asked his men to vote on who should step in as captain if skipper Jordan Henderson or his deputy James Milner are missing, just as they were in midweek.
Klopp added: “They all had their votes. Virgil is still young. It is good for him to have this responsibility because he looks more of a man than he really is.
“There is nothing wrong with that and he can still improve.”