Klopp: ‘We must start again like virgins’

Loris Karius making two huge errors.

But despite the heartbreak in Ukraine, Klopp feels they are in an even better place as a result. “No damage. No, absolutely not,” he said. “I think we got a lot of respect because of the way we played last season and I think everyone who saw the final saw that we could have won it against a side in a completely different moment.

“They see the games we played. They saw City, they saw Rome, they saw Porto. They saw many games which we played in a really good way. There was a lot of respect.

“It is a nice experience, it is a nice memory, but pretty sure it will help us in the moment, all that stuff, but at the end we have to start new–usingtheexperiencebut not relying on it. The best way is when you are experienced you use your new knowledge and start again like a virgin if you want. Like a virgin… !”

The manner of Liverpool’s progress to the final, sweeping aside Manchester City in the last eight and Roma in the semis, and rattling in the goals, earned plenty of plaudits.

It also helped enhance the club’s reputation and that paid off when it came to securing their top transfer targets this summer. “That is not too important for me but it is important for the club and the players,” Klopp, pictured, added. “The players we spoke to in the summer or a little earlier, they were different talks to those I had the previous year or before.

“It is a different club to the club I joined when I came in.

“We are a challenger and we are a challenger again for pretty much everything, especially in each game. I don’t think there is any game in the world where you would say beforehand, ‘No chance Liverpool,’ which is good.”

The strikers playing tonight have 199 goals between them since the start of last season: 100 for PSG’S Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani, 99 for Liverpool’s Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

Klopp is wary. “I love my players, I wouldn’t change them but I watched Paris, I watched them last year and I watched them this year, and it is impressive,” he added.