KLOPP: WE’RE NOT SHORT OF BULLETS IF IT’S A SHOOTOUT
ONE by one, Jurgen Klopp rattled off the names and highlighted each superstar’s quality. The more he analysed Paris Saint- Germain, the more animated Liverpool’s manager became. This, his actions made clear, is no ordinary challenge.
‘I watched them last year and I watched them this year,’ said Klopp. ‘It is impressive. They are good. Really good and not only for Paris. Kylian Mbappe? Come on! What a World Cup he played. Neymar? We know about his quality.
‘Angel di Maria . . . maybe he didn’t have the best time at Manchester United but all the rest of his career was outstanding. Edinson Cavani? An outstanding goalscorer . . . In the preparation, I have to make sure that we know about it. We have to respect them.’
Mbappe certainly has the German’s respect as Liverpool enquired about him in the summer of 2017 when it became clear he was leaving Monaco. The glint in his eye when mentioning the 19-year-old made clear his admiration. This, however, was not Klopp preparing for impending doom. PSG may have a formidable forward line, arguably the most glitzy in world football, but it quickly became apparent that respect does not equate to fear.
‘I can’t prepare a team to face Paris Saint- Germain without showing them the strengths of Paris,’ said Klopp. ‘But it’s quite difficult for them to prepare as they have never played against us. Us playing them will look different to what they have faced so far this season. That’s the truth.’
Klopp was not bragging but it is a sign of how far Liverpool have come since returning to the Champions League 12 months ago that they believe they are stepping on to this exalted stage as equals of artists from Paris.
His belief, of course, comes from the fact that Liverpool have a front three that are the talk of Europe themselves and if it comes down to a shootout, Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino — who will be given every chance to recover from an eye issue — and Sadio Mane won’t be short of bullets. That trident made Anfield the most thrilling destination in the Champions League last season and the memory of the first 30 minutes in the quarter-final against Manchester City, not to mention the hour against Roma in the last four, shows what can happen when the team and fans are in sync.
It would not be a shock, then, if Liverpool tore out of the blocks and buried PSG under one of those blitzkriegs; Thomas Tuchel, PSG’s head coach, knows from personal experience, when manager of Borussia Dortmund in 2016, how logic does not apply to this stadium on such nights. There will be goals, that is almost certain. The difference this year, however, is that Klopp believes Liverpool are much more robust defensively. In the opening group game against Sevilla 12 months ago, they let slip a position of dominance to raise doubts about their defensive steel.
‘Their front three might score more but we might win more games as a team and that is more important,’ said Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson, who will be restored to the starting line-up this evening after being rested at Tottenham. ‘It’s not about who gets the most goals and assists. Everyone knows about the attacking threat but we have started the season really well by defending as a team. To win any title you need to have that mindset.’
It is, in many respects, a highprofile game of chess. Klopp referred to PSG as being ‘built to win the Champions League’ and while that is true, the feeling in France is that Liverpool pose as big a threat to their ambitions as anyone else.
This could easily be a quarterfinal, not the opening game of Group C, and it will be fascinating to see who comes out on top: Liverpool have not lost at home in Europe since Real Madrid steamrollered them in October 2014 but that 16-game unbeaten sequence will be severely tested.
Liverpool have the memories of their surge to last season’s final in Kiev and, contrary to Gary Neville’s suggestion that they should not prioritise this competition, Klopp wants to make more memories, starting tonight.
‘That’s why Champions League football is so cool,’ said Klopp. ‘You have this outstanding individual quality on the pitch. You think, “OK, what are we going to make of it?” For both teams, that’s not guaranteed. That’s why I love these games so much. If we have the ball and we don’t play football then the pressure of them is too high. If we don’t force them into situations they don’t like, if they have the ball and we don’t really defend 100 per cent, then we have no chance.
‘But my players know that. We are not a little bit satisfied. There is nothing in us that thinks, “That’s it!” It was good (to reach the final) but we want it better for the club and the people. That is what we really try to do.’