Klopp out to stop Jose’s juggernaut
ASENSE of dread has started to surface on Merseyside once more, a nagging fear about those most bitter foes.
Following a turbulent spell after the Sir Alex Ferguson wonder years, the signs in recent months are that Manchester United’s juggernaut is cranking back into gear and that Jose Mourinho has it moving relentlessly towards the Premier League’s summit.
Mourinho is on a crusade to take a 21st title to Old Trafford and there is no limit to the finance being provided for him to realise his ambition. Since being appointed, he has spent more than £300million to get United rolling. The money is not going to dry up any time soon.
United’s expenditure dwarfs the investment Jurgen Klopp has made in the same period and that is why, as Mourinho’s team head to Anfield this lunchtime, there is a feeling United will disappear into the distance once more as they did for two decades under Ferguson’s command.
So how do Liverpool keep pace? When it was put to Klopp yesterday that the task of staying one step ahead of United in the long run was going to be impossible, his response was emphatic. The idea that United are too strong is not something he will entertain.
‘In the moment when I think we cannot be successful — and there is only consolation — I go,’ Klopp said firmly. ‘Why should I be here as some kind of caretaker until the world creates a manager who can be more successful? That makes no sense. I am really convinced.
‘Other managers have different ways to do it. Other clubs have different ways to do it. We have our way. I don’t think I’m the perfect manager. I only think I’m the perfect fit for this club. And I feel already much more responsible than maybe I should.
‘If your neighbour has a better situation — he’s got one more car, he gets to go on one extra holiday — does it mean you can’t enjoy your own situation? It’s about us being happy, not others. Can we dominate them for the next 20 years without spending the same amount of money? Probably not.
‘But can we still be there? Yes, of course. And we want to force this. We want to be consistent, constant at our high level and improve it. Even when we lose a player in the future, we want to bring in other players. That’s the benefit of a long-term project.’
Klopp has patience and patience will be required today. Mourinho will have a plan, one to frustrate the locals, one that will be designed to continue the miserly start to the campaign that has seen United keep six clean sheets in seven Premier League matches.
‘I play with one defender and nine strikers, don’t worry about it,’ Mourinho said sardonically, when asked if United were going to ‘park the bus’ as they did last season in a game that was built up to be Red Monday but became known as Dead Monday for a lack of entertainment.
Whatever Mourinho does, the truth is that United hold the aces. Even without Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini, their strength has not been affected.
Should they win at Anfield, a 10-point advantage over Liverpool is likely to be insurmountable.
Klopp refused to contemplate the worst-case scenario. Liverpool have not scored more than one goal at home in the Premier League against United since March 2011 and have failed to record a domestic verdict over them since March 2014. This, however, presents an opportunity.
‘We want to win and we know it is a special game,’ said the German. ‘It is an early moment in the season and we have only three or four points less than Tottenham and Chelsea.
‘Yes, it feels like the Manchester clubs are running. We played City and they were not five classes better (a 5-0 defeat). Do not think of gaps because it makes you stiff. We must be free and play football, so it would be good if all those with the Reds are ready. I am ready and the boys are ready.’