Don’t rain on my parade at Anfield says gaffer Klopp

JURGEN Klopp (right) insists com ments m ade by h i s age nt t hat suggested he was conte mplat i ng h is L iver pool f ut u re because of the British weather were merely “a joke”.

The German is committed to the Anfield club until 2022 but Marc Kosicke hinted his client could decide against signing a new contract, in part due to the inclement climate in the north-west.

Klopp, though, moved to clarify the remarks as he said on the eve of his side’s Champions League opener against Napoli: “He wanted to make a joke.

“Now I have to be serious otherwise I could make a lot of jokes about the weather! It was obviously German humour and nobody got it.

“The weather was never a reason for me to choose a city. The weather in Liverpool is not always nice but, especially between March and September or October, it’s nicer than you would imagine.

“He’s not only my agent but he’s my friend and friends can of course say what they want, and he did that, and nobody got his joke so that’s how it is.”

Meanwhile, Klopp is wary of a Napoli side he describes as “stubborn in a very positive way” as the Reds begin the defence of their Champions League crown at the Stadio San Paolo.

The clubs have been drawn in the same group for the second season in a row, with Napoli prevailing in the corresponding fixture last term.

Liverpool went on to pip Napoli to a spot in the knockout stages – by virtue of scoring more goals after they finished level on points and a number of other determining factors – before going on to lift the coveted trophy.

While the memory of Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat here last October burns bright in the memory for Klopp, the German believes his side showed immediate improvement against title rivals Manchester City in their next outing and did not allow their levels to drop for the remainder of the campaign.

Klopp said: “Directly after the Napoli away game last year, it was a game where we had to defend really well and we improved in three days, did everything right that we did here wrong and kept that going for the rest of the season.

“Am I sure something like that can never happen again? No, of course not. The boys have given me no signs that I have to doubt them but things like this can happen.

“Last year we learned from one game to the next game and this year we have to use that experience because if you don’t defend with all we have then we have no chance against Napoli, they are so strong.

“They are stubborn i n a very positive way – they play football, they break lines, they have counter-attacks, they are creative.”