KLOPP’S SEEING RED

Kop boss wants his players to use their anger as an emotion to battle City

BY

JURGEN KLOPP wants Liverpool’s anger to be an energy as they set about righting the wrongs of last season.

For so long the previous campaign centred on whether the Reds could pull off a remarkable quadruple.

But while the Carabao Cup and FA Cup were clinched, the Premier League eluded them by a solitary point and the Champions League by a solitary goal.

Klopp claimed it only took him a day to get over that double disappointment.

But as he geared up to face Manchester City in today’s Community Shield curtain raiser, the German revealed he has not let his team forget the pain of missing out on the two biggest prizes.

“We had a big meeting where I told the boys what I expect from them this season,” said the Liverpool boss.

“Being angry is important to fight against the outside world in this specific moment. I want to use the togetherness we have, the atmosphere we have in the team, the experience we made, for the better.

“We want to create a resilience and a fighting spirit.

“We don’t know where it will lead us but we know it will improve us, based on the things we know are important when we bring them on the pitch.

“We want to be the team no one wants to play against because when they have the ball, they have pressure everywhere.” Both title challengers have spent big on strikers, with City nabbing Erling Haaland for £51million, while the fee for new Liverpool hitman Darwin Nunez could rise to £85m.

The Reds have also signed attacker Fabio Carvalho from Fulham for £7.7m and full-back Calvin Ramsay for £6.5m.

But City have spent £50m on Kalvin Phillips in midfield, with more signings expected. Not that Klopp is feeling short changed by his employers. “First of all, we spent money as well,” he added. “We should not forget that.

“We lost three first-team players. Sadio Mane, Divock Origi, Taki Minamino, very important players for us, brought in three.

“We want to create space for our young boys from last year to step into the void.

“They are useful for us. We have been together for a while.

“We know each other and we know what we expect from each other.”