Klopp: Keep lid on please
HE HAS bought the players, managed a pre-season almost to perfection and raised the belief full tilt. But Jurgen Klopp says his biggest job on the eve of the new campaign is to dampen all the hype, hysteria and expectation surrounding Liverpool. Manager Klopp, after a 5-0 friendly thumping of Napoli in Dublin on Saturday, said: “First of all I really hope our fans are in it with us, that they have an understanding. “We have shown a lot of good things in the last few years but it was never easy and it will not be easy this season. If we win a game, we win a game, and we must win the next game too – we must not be celebrating anything as if it’s decided.
“I really believe our fans know what’s going on. It’s the people around us that are creating stories and I’m not interested in that.
“We have high expectations of ourselves but our situation has not changed. I don’t see that United have got weaker or City weaker. Tottenham have not sold a player.
“Arsenal and Chelsea will be stronger. Everton are pushing from behind and Wolves have shown they are not shy of spending money.
“The Premier League will be difficult. When I speak about not having crazy expectations, if we keep the atmosphere within the club from last year we have a chance of a really big season and then we will see what happens.”
The way Liverpool ripped Carlo Ancelotti’s Napoli to pieces in their penultimate friendly before the big kickoff next weekend is not going to help Klopp keep the lid on the optimism. In fact, it is more likely to crank up the anticipation further with even the manager probably thinking he might just be fighting a losing battle on that front.
If this ominous statement of intent in front of a sell-out 51,512 crowd at the Aviva Stadium is a pointer then West Ham – visitors to Anfield on Sunday – better watch out.
Klopp reunited Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino for the first time since the Champions League final in Kiev.
And their threat helped catapult Liverpool into a fourth-minute lead through James Milner – later led off with a gruesome head wound that needed 15 stitches.
Brazil goalkeeper Alisson – a big hit on his debut – had started the move with a stunning 65-yard pass but midfielder Naby Keita caught the eye too.
Goals from Georginio Wijnaldum, Salah, Daniel Sturridge and Alberto Moreno completed the rout.