KLOPP: BE CONFIDENT AND GO FOR GOALS!
LIVERPOOL BOSS NOT REVEALING ANY SECRETS ON HOW TO BEAT MAN CITY
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes you need confidence to be successful against Manchester City and will tell his team they have all the quality they need to beat the Premier League champions elect.
The first leg of their hugely-anticipated Champions League quarter-final at Anfield sees City return to the scene of their only league defeat so far this season when they lost 4-3 in arguably the game of the season in January.
Klopp has won more matches (six) against Pep Guardiola than any other manager and so obviously has a method which works well against the Catalan’s full-on possession game.
But if there is a secret to combating Guardiola then the German was not prepared to air it publicly.
“We beat Man City two months ago but we knew before the game it is possible, if unbelievably difficult to do it, so now we know again it is possible and difficult to do it again,” he said.
“If you have a home game hoping for a clean sheet against Man City does not make much sense.
“If you have to defend against them 95 minutes 100 per cent they they will have a shot on target.
“You need a fantastic goalkeeper and fantastic defence and fantastic organisation and you need the balls to use the space they give you.
“We have to be 100 per cent better in all parts, offensively and defensively.
“We cannot avoid everything but with our skills we can cause them problems and they have the same chance so that makes the game interesting.”
Despite their storied past, Liverpool have won just one trophy since 2006, although Klopp did take them to two finals without success in his first season in 2016-17.
The enormity of their allPremier League quarter-final brings back memories of the famous 2005 occasion against Chelsea, but the Reds boss insists that has to remain in the past.
“I like all these things but this club is already full of history and we have to write our own,” he added.
“I meet people who can tell me each goal Liverpool scored 37 years ago. This team we need to be proud of our history but we need to create our own history.”
Manchester City will be without club record scorer Sergio Aguero.
The Argentinian, who has scored 30 goals this season, has been out for the last three weeks with a knee injury.
Aguero’s absence means Gabriel Jesus is likely to continue up front. The Brazilian, who turned 21 yesterday, is still to get back to his best after a spell out injured.