JURGEN: FANS DO NOT GIVE US EDGE
JURGEN KLOPP fears Anfield will fall silent once again – but insists Merseyside clubs have not been given a significant advantage by avoiding the lockdown restrictions that have hit the rest of the Premier League.
Two thousand supporters will once again be cheering his Liverpool side when the champions facewest
Brom today.
The Reds and local rivals Everton are the only clubs allowed to still open their doors to supporters after the area was kept in Tier 2.
But Klopp feels it is only a matter of time before the pandemic’s grip on Merseyside is once again tightened.
He said: “With the new tier system, it doesn’t look very likely that the stadium will remain open, eh? There are still bigger problems out there and as long as the deciders allow us to bring people in, I think that is a really good sign.
“The moment they say it is not possible any more, then we have to wait for the next moment when it is possible again.
“As a club, it is not that we had any hand in the decision. It actually says something nice about the Liverpool people probably, because we had early mass testing. I am not a specialist so I don’t know exactly how influential that was.
“Maybe some other clubs will speak about it and complain, but I don’t see it as a massive advantage.
“It’s just nicer – and that’s the truth – and I understand everybody else wants to have the
same. If we have 2,000 and nobody else has even 100 or whatever, then yes I can imagine people will talk about that.
“But from my point of view, long may it continue that we can keep people in the stadium. I will never ever in my life take a full stadium for granted.”
It has been a bittersweet year for Liverpool.
Klopp ended the club’s 30-year wait for the title in sensational fashion. But his players lifted the Premier League trophy in an empty stadium.
The Liverpool boss insists he will still take precious memories from the way his team gave their supporters something to smile about in unique circumstances.
Klopp said: “I will remember it as a special year.
“People have said to me ‘my
God you are champions in 2020 when no one could celebrate’ – but I see things the other way round.
“Could you imagine this year being like it was and not being champions? Then the year would be really rubbish.
“In a very tricky year for the whole world, we have created some highlights for our supporters, for ourselves, for our families and our friends.
“I got a lot of experiences I didn’t want to have in my life, but we created some memories which I will never forget for good reasons.
“Never before in my life at midnight on New Year’s Eve will I be as serious when I wish everyone a better 2021 than
2020.
“Maybe if we all wish for the same thing and this one time, maybe we can produce positive energy that will help.”