Path to final has been ‘a crazy ride’ says Klopp

LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp says their run to the Champions League final has been a “crazy ride” but is well deserved.

The Reds started with a qualifier in August against Hoffenheim and after seeing off Manchester City in the quarter-finals and then Roma, including a second leg defeat in the Stadio Olimpico, they now meet defending champions Real Madrid on May 26.

“In our case, we’ve played in the Champions League without pressure most of the time,” Klopp said.

“We entered the competition for the first time in a while and we quickly realised that we had a good chance.

“We aren’t anyone else. We are Liverpool, on the way to becoming a really good team, and performing at such a high level is very cool.

“To summarise, it’s been a crazy ride. But, after all, we’ve earned our place here.”

Liverpool are the top scorers in the competition with 40, not including their six goals against Hoffenheim.

They also have three of the top four scorers i n Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino (both 10) and Sadio Mane (nine) – Real’s Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way with 15.

“Football should be more oriented to finishing every attack with a shot on target. And that’s what we do whenever possible,” Klopp added.

“We didn’t put a special value on that. It’s just part of the game.”

Firmino, with 27 goals in all competitions, is enjoying his best season as a professional but is still not satisfied

“I am still a little bit restless, as I always want more, to grow and grow even further,” he said.

“I am pretty pleased and very happy with my performance and the entire team’s performance and I hope to keep that going into the final.”