EMPTY FEELING
Kop boss fears Anfield will be without fans again
JURGEN KLOPP fears that Anfield will fall silent once again.
But he insists Merseyside’s clubs have not been given a significant advantage by avoiding the lockdown restrictions that have gripped the rest of the Premier League.
Two thousand supporters will once again be cheering Liverpool when the champions face West Brom today.
The Reds and local rivals Everton are still the only clubs allowed to open their doors to supporters after the area was kept in Tier Two by the government.
But Klopp feels it is only a matter of time before the pandemic grip on Merseyside is tightened again.
He said: “With the new tier system, it doesn’t look very l ikely 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, that is a really good sign.
“The moment they say it is not possible any more, then we must 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 says something nice about the Liverpool people probably as 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 fans 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, 100 per cent.”
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 around.
“Could you imagine this year being like it was and not being champions? Then the year would have been really rubbish.
“In a very tricky year for the world, we created highlights for our supporters, for ourselves, for our families and our friends.
“I had a lot of experiences I didn’t want in my life, but we created memories which I will never forget for good reasons.
“That’s what I want to remember from this year.
“Never before in my life, at midnight on New Year’s Eve, will I be as serious as when I wish everyone a better 2021.”