WE’LL STOP JOSE JUGGERNAUT
Bullish Klopp insists Liverpool are revved up to catch old foes
ASENSE of dread has started to surface on Merseyside once more, a nagging fear about those most bitter foes.
Following a turbulent spell after the Sir Alex Ferguson wonder years, the signs in recent months are that Manchester United’s juggernaut is cranking back into gear and Jose Mourinho has it moving relentlessly towards the Premier League’s summit.
Mourinho is on a crusade to bring a 21st domestic title to Old Trafford and there are no limits to the finances being provided for him to realise his ambition. Since being appointed, he has spent more than £ 300million to get United rolling. The money is not going to dry up any time soon.
United’s expenditure dwarfs the investment Jurgen Klopp has made in the same period and that is why, as Mourinho’s team head to Anfield, there is a feeling United will disappear into the distance once more as they did for two decades under Ferguson’s command.
So how do Liverpool keep pace? When it was put to Klopp yesterday that the task of staying one step ahead of United in the long run was going to be impossible, his response was emphatic. The idea that United are too strong is not something he will entertain.
‘In the moment when I think we cannot be successful — and there is only consolation — I go,’ Klopp said firmly. ‘Why should I be here as some kind of caretaker until the world creates a manager who can be more successful? That makes no sense. I am really convinced. ‘Other managers have different ways to do it. Other clubs have different ways to do it. We have our way. I don’t think I’m the perfect manager. I only think I’m the perfect fit for this club. And I feel already much more responsible than maybe I should.
‘If your neighbour has a better situation — he’s got one more car, he gets to go on one extra holiday — does it mean you can’t enjoy your own situation? It’s about us being happy, not others. Can we dominate them for the next 20 years without spending the same amount of money? Probably not.
‘But can we still be there? Yes, of course. And we want to force this. We want to be consistent, constant at our high level and improve it. Even when we lose a player in the future we want to bring in other players. That’s the benefit of a long-term project.’
Klopp has patience and patience will be required this lunchtime. Mourinho will have a plan in mind, one to frustrate the locals, one that will be designed to continue the miserly start to the campaign that has seen United keep six clean sheets in seven Premier League matches.
‘I play with one defender and nine strikers, don’t worry about it,’ Mourinho said sardonically, when asked if United were going to ‘park the bus’ as they did last season in a game that was built up to be Red Monday but became known as Dead Monday for the lack of entertainment. ‘We play with one guy behind and then we go with a new system and we play with nine strikers, don’t worry about it.’
Whatever Mourinho decides to do, the truth is that United hold the aces. Even without Paul Pogba and Marouane Fellaini, their strength has not been affected. Should they leave Anfield victorious, a 10-point advantage over Liverpool is likely to be insurmountable. Once again Klopp refused to contemplate the worst- case scenario. Liverpool have not scored more than one goal at home in the Premier League against United since March 2011 and have failed to record a domestic verdict over them since March 2014. This, however, presents an opportunity.
Klopp might be without Sadio Mane but he is not losing sleep, in the same way he is not flustered about trying to peg back Mourinho. The challenge — today and in the future — is one the German will meet head on.
‘ These are facts, we cannot ignore facts, but it should not be
in the middle of what we think about,’ said Klopp. ‘We want to win and we know it is a special game. It is an early moment in the season and we’ve only three or four points less than Tottenham and Chelsea.
‘Yes, it feels like the Manchester clubs are running. We played City and theyhey were not five classes bet-better. Do not think of gaps too early because it makes you stiff. We have to be free, create atmosphere and play football so it would be good if all those with the Reds are ready.
‘The only possibility to get the result is with performance. If we satsa back and waited for one counter-attack nobody at Anfield would accept this. The big challenge is to stay confident and play football. I am ready for this and the boys are ready for this.’