LONG-BALL JOSE

Klopp: We are ready for West Brom... they play just like United

JURGEN KLOPP believes Liverpool will be perfectly prepared for the visit of West Bromwich after dealing successfully with Manchester United’s long-ball approach.

Liverpool’s manager is aware that a major challenge this season is coping with teams who come to Anfield and attempt to frustrate the hosts, which is what Jose Mourinho did successfully on Monday.

United tried to beat Liverpool’s high pressing game by playing long, direct balls forward and Klopp is anticipating West Brom will do the same tomorrow, just as they did 10 months ago when they came away with a 2-2 draw.

Klopp (below) has no intention of being drawn into a spat with Mourinho and believes the point Liverpool took off United can be viewed as positive.

He feels, however, the experience of coping with their style will be beneficial to his side.

‘ We are a footballplaying side and Manchester United were more physical and stronger than we were with a lot of tall players,’ said Klopp.

‘We did well and I don’t remember them having a big advantage in the game. We need to be ready again for situations like this (against West Brom).

‘You can always use a few things from the last game, but on the other hand it will be different again. Defending these balls was important, very important, in the United game and will be important in the next game.

‘Playing football would have been important in the Man United game and will be very important in the West Brom game. There is a lot of work to do.’

Mourinho has aimed several barbs at Liverpool since Monday, calling them a ‘really good defensive team’ before United’s Europa League game with Fenerbahce but Klopp refused to get into a tit-fortat exchange.

‘I am not interested in it,’ said Klopp. ‘I thought the game was over, so why should I talk about it still? What I don’t like too much in the world of media is that you write what you hear and not what you see. I could say what I want and you write it and a few people think, “That’s not right”.

‘I don’t care what anybody says after the game. I know the game already and I know what I have to learn from it. You want to write what you saw and if it is the same as what other people say, I don’t know if that is good or bad, but use it or leave it. Don’t bother me with things like that.

‘I am not one per cent interested. You cannot win the game after the game, I learnt that early on in my career. We have a point and it felt positive because it was one more than before the game.

‘We’ve had worse results in the past and I am fine. It was a good experience for us.’ HUDDERSFIELD, managed by Klopp’s close friend David Wagner, are interested in taking Liverpool defender Joe Gomez on loan. Gomez, 19, has been out for more than a year after suffering a serious cruciate injury and then a problem with an

achilles.