Klopp knows pressure’s on for trophies
Jurgen Klopp accepts there will be pressure on him to win a first trophy with Liverpool this season.
The German will celebrate his third anniversary as manager in October and, although he has brought plenty of excitement to Anfield, so far he has not managed to add any silverware.
Liverpool have lost in three finals under Klopp – the League Cup and Europa League in his first campaign and the Champions League last season – while finishing eighth, fourth and fourth in the Premier League.
Klopp said: “People will say that. It is the next step and we need to be ready for that. I cannot give guarantees here but I understand if people think that. I know about the expectations and that is completely normal.
“First of all we have to play the football that gives us an opportunity to win something. We cannot talk about winning something before we start the season. “I am confident we can build on last season. It’s not that we lost things completely but you have to work on it to get it back. The football the boys played last year was not easy. There was a lot of work invested into playing like that. That’s what we will do again. I am not in doubt about our basis or that we will reach it again.
“Other teams, of course, will do transfer business as well. They will not be weaker than last year. City brought in (Riyad) Mahrez. I did not hear that they lost one player so far. So it means the quality of last year plus Mahrez.
“That’s a nice plan as well. United will go for it, too. We expect more from ourselves.”