Trophies must be ‘next step’ admits Klopp
Expectations rise after £170m spending spree German wary of tough start against West Ham
Jurgen Klopp has admitted the pressure is on Liverpool this season finally to end their painful wait for silverware. Klopp has significantly rebuilt his squad over the summer and spent more than £170million in an effort to challenge defending champions Manchester City for the Premier League title.
Liverpool reached last season’s
Champions League final, losing to Real Madrid, but Klopp knows he will be expected to meet rising expectations and repay the financial backing from owners FSG.
The £65 million record capture of Brazil goalkeeper Alisson appears crucial, with many supporters regarding the absence of a quality No 1 as having damaged Liverpool’s hopes of success.
But the signings of Naby Keita and Fabinho, in particular, to join the league’s player of the year Mohamed Salah and £75 million defender Virgil van Dijk, have generated a wave of optimism ahead of the new campaign.
Kenny Dalglish was the last Liverpool manager to win a trophy, the League Cup victory over Cardiff City in 2012, and Klopp has ac- knowledged he must start making history with the club.
When asked if Liverpool have to win something this season, he said: “You are right and people will say that. It would be the next step and we need to be ready for that.
“I cannot give guarantees but I understand if people think that. I know about the expectations and that is completely normal. We expect more from ourselves. We will go again for the championship and each kind of cup, but that does not mean I can sit here and we will get it. We have the highest ambitions.
“Other teams will do business as well. They will not be weaker than last year. City brought in [Riyad] Mahrez and Manchester United will go for it too. I am confident we can build on last season.”
Klopp is preparing for his third season at Anfield and is still waiting for a number of World Cup stars to return. Though Salah and Sadio Mane have joined the Liverpool squad in the United States, Klopp is without a number of key players, including Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, Dejan Lovren and Trent Alexander-arnold.
New £13million signing Xherdan Shaqiri is set to link up with the squad in the next 24 hours, while Alisson will join the squad at a training camp in France next week.
With the club’s first competitive fixture against West Ham United on Aug 12, Klopp insisted Liverpool’s start is crucial.
“It’s not like the good old times when you had your squad for six weeks in pre-season and spent one week team-building by going to a forest in Sweden with nothing to eat, like I did when I was young,” he said. “The first few games are absolutely important. We have West Ham and Crystal Palace and that’s tough enough.
Klopp faces an anxious wait over the fitness of Joel Matip, who limped off against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday. Matip missed the end of last season with a thigh injury and now has a suspected muscle tear.