KLOPP’S THREE POINT PLAN IS A HOME WINNER
LIVERPOOL v EVERTON
JURGEN KLOPP revealed that he has turned Anfield into an unconquerable fortress thanks to the combination of a rebuilt stadium, a new defence and a tactical tweak.
Liverpool head into today’s derby with Everton having conceded only one goal in 11 Premier League home games since February.
It’s a formidable statistic that confirms Liverpool’s invincibility in front of the Kop as they try to smash their 29-year title jinx.
Klopp said: “I hope it will stay like this. It should be normal that it is very difficult for other teams to play you in your own stadium.
“But of course things can still happen and there were a lot of steps to go when I arrived until other teams started to think Anfield is not the nicest place to go.
“A lot of things happened to the stadium. We built a new stand with everything inside new, which helps a lot.
“It’s a nice environment. You feel comfortable. It’s our home and it’s nicer than all the other stadiums in the league.
“Now we are there but I don’t think a lot of
Evertonians are going to think about our home record. They will try everything to stop that.”
Klopp has pinpointed the £142million arrival of Virgil van
Dijk (below) and keeper Alisson as vital in turning Liverpool’s defence from leaky to watertight.
He added: “From the first second Virgil was brilliant. It is easier for a centre-half coming in and playing – the adjustment to the rest of the team is not that massive.
“I knew long before he signed the contract that Virgil would be outstanding. The mix of his playing ability and leadership makes him outstanding.
“Alisson may be Brazilian but he is coming from the colder part of Brazil and it makes him pretty much European, so he has settled quickly. He is very calm, very good, everything we thought when we signed him.” Klopp’s third success factor has been the switch from going gung-ho to protecting points more cautiously. He said: “It was all about being as stable as possible in all the games. We knew last year we wanted to be more composed, much more compact. It is the only way to collect points consistently.”