Reds boss raring to go after break

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has no concerns about his runaway Premier League leaders picking up their relentless pace again after their mid-season break.

The German welcomed his players back on Monday for a “dream” week of training after their time off and is confident they will hit the ground running against bottom side Norwich at Carrow Road tonight.

Liverpool have won 24 of 25 league matches this season, dropping only two points, and head into the weekend with a 22-point leader over secondplaced Manchester City.

“It’s a pity we had to explain the necessity and how useful a week’s break is,” he said.

“The dream of a manager is to have a full week to prepare a game, then you have an intense training session which you usually can’t have.

“The most intense session is the game in a training week when you play Saturday, Wednesday, Sunday.

“Now it is the other way around and we used the week to train hard, we trained a lot.

“It’s not that we don’t enjoy playing, playing, playing but doing something else for one week is just nice. Coming back you look forward to the next game like you didn’t play for the last half-year.”

The break has allowed forward Sadio Mane and midfielder James Milner to fully recover from hamstring injuries, which leaves only Xherdan Shaqiri (calf) as the only absent member of the first-team squad.

Norwich head coach Daniel Farke says his team is under no illusions about the task facing them.

“Liverpool are on fire and the best team in the world. We need an outstanding performance and spirit to have a chance,” he said.

Liverpool’s Sadio Mane is fit again after a hamstring injury.