ANFIELD OF DREAMS
Klopp admits he has to make Liverpool a club players NEVER want to leave... STARTING WITH EMRE CAN
JURGEN KLOPP has conceded he must make Anfield a place his players never want to leave.. starting with Emre Can.
The Germany midfielder is out of contract in the summer and looks increasingly likely to leave, with Juventus and Manchester City interested.
Coming so soon after the departure of Philippe Coutinho, that would be not only a blow to the manager in his attempts to keep together a promising young side, but also to the image of Liverpool as a football club.
The Reds have shown in recent weeks they are the most obvious challengers to Manchester City in the coming years, but as he prepared to visit Swansea, Klopp admitted he cannot afford to let many more top players leave.
“There are other places with football clubs – players can want to leave,” he said. “That can and probably will still happen in the future.
“It’s not a big problem, but we can’t let it happen too often. Let me say it like this – we have to make it difficult for them to leave here. We have to create a situation where players want to stay.”
Can has become a key player in the absence of skipper Jordan Henderson, the young midfielder emerging as one of the most promising in European football.
He starred in the victory over Manchester City which showed in the coming seasons Liverpool have the talent to emerge as the club most likely to take on Pep Guardiola’s champions in waiting.
But with contract talks stalled Klopp admitted the possibility of Can, 24, walking away for nothing in six months’ time.
“He’s here at the moment and that’s the most important thing,” said the Reds’ German boss. “For me, there is no problem.
“At the moment – especially with the injury of Hendo – Emre is playing pretty much all the time.
“For 60, 70 minutes he was outstanding against City. what We happens. will see In this age group maybe not all of them are one-club players.” While Can is one headache for the manager, he at least seems to have solved another, with Sadio Mane returning to the sort of form with his goal against City that made him a world-class prospect. Klopp explained how he talked the winger through everything good in his game. “Of course we had talks and I like to be honest – I don’t want to say Sadio was brilliant when he wasn’t,” he said. Referring to the
Merseyside when team-mates by he for shooting could a tap-in, Mane have wide derby, Klopp fuming crossed left when said: “After when the he Everton didn’t game pass, everybody criticised him. “I didn’t mention it at half-time, I didn’t mention it after the game, it wasn’t mentioned in any meeting because I saw in Sadio’s eyes that if he could turn the clock back he would do it. “He was convinced he would score, but sometimes you have to accept these decisions are wrong. You mistakes. can’t Now play football he is completely without different again.” Mane’s finish against City was world-class, and Klopp added: “It’s not possible to say what I told the player in a one-to-one meeting. But it was about what he did so far. Good, good, good, good, good. One or two things not that good, but the rest good. So let’s build on that and ignore the rest. “You can’t think all the time about your mistakes. You can’t forget all the good things. Sometimes people need help to realise again the good situation. “Since then he works hard, he protects the ball, no risky dribbling and he is a world-class player.”