Klopp urges players to ignore pain on ascent to top of ‘mountain climb’

Jurgen Klopp has told his Liverpool players to ignore pain and treat the Premier League title race like a mountain climb ahead of their toughest run-in test against worldclass counter attackers.

Klopp expects Tottenham to provide a stern defensive examination at Anfield tonight in their seventh match in 21 days, when his squad have been tested physically and mentally. “We have to make sure firstly that they are physically ready and, with the targets, that they are mentally ready,” Klopp said. “It is like other sports like a marathon or climbing mountains, it is long.

“You always have to be focused and the moment you think you are tired, you are definitely tired. As long as you ignore it, you can go much longer. The inner voices, calm them down or shut them up if possible, and you can go for long.

“Winning football games is the best energiser you can have. Having big targets is energising. Seeing the sunlight of targets helps massively. If you want to go for everything, you have to fight, which means you have to want it. Don’t fight because you have to fight. Fight because you want to.”

Roberto Firmino is back in training but may not be risked, as Liverpool travel to Aston Villa on Tuesday. Klopp’s team have not conceded a Premier League goal in almost a month, but he is wary of Antonio Conte’s team on the break.

“They have some of the best counter-attacking players in the world, and we need to find solutions for that,” Klopp said. “They have speed like crazy up front. Harry Kane, what a player, and there is a blind understanding between them.

“It is the biggest challenge for protection we have faced for a long time because each mistake you make, you have to be high up the pitch because that is where you score the goals, but when you lose the ball you have to be immediately around all of them.”

After sealing a Champions League final fixture against Real Madrid, Klopp admitted he wanted to play them the year after they beat Liverpool in the 2018 showpiece.

“When we lost that final, my favourite solution would have been to play the final again the next year against Real Madrid. Instead, we faced Tottenham in Madrid. Madrid seems to be our destiny,” he said.

“We are more experienced than we were, probably, but a lot of players are still there for them and us. It will be great. We were not happy that night. I am happy to go there and give it a try.”