Liverpool like a rock – we are hard to break, warns Adrian
It is hard to imagine any football figure towering over the English game more than Jurgen Klopp appears destined to in 2020 even if the FA Cup will, understandably, figure far down the list of the Liverpool manager’s priorities.
For back-up goalkeeper Adrian, who is poised to play in this afternoon’s third-round derby with Everton, a season that looks certain to include Klopp ending his club’s 30-year wait for a league title has already shown the German deserves the accolade as the world’s best coach.
“He’s the best right now because he got a lot of stuff here,” Adrian said. “Everyone is behind him, he is behind the team so we are together, we are like a rock at the moment and it’s difficult to break a rock.
“Obviously [Pep] Guardiola had a great time at Barcelona in that moment, they won everything, but now I think Liverpool is in great momentum.
“Jurgen did a great job from the beginning. Last season was magnificent, we finished on a high and now we started a new year with a win.”
Adrian has already played a larger role in the campaign than many expected when he moved to Anfield as a free agent in the summer, an early-season injury to Alisson meaning he has made 10 league and three cup appearances so far.
And, after some uncertain early moments from the 33-year-old Spaniard, Adrian believes he has repaid some of the faith shown in him by Klopp.
“I’m really pleased for him because he brought me here that summer,” he said. “I was out of contract and I was really close to signing for a Spanish team and they called me so I told my agent to stop all the negotiations.
“So, from the beginning, he showed he was confident in me, he knew me because I played a long time at West Ham so it’s trust in each other.
“He’s like the captain of the boat. We are working and fighting together but he tries to give us solutions for the problems, tries to make us feel the team is more important than any individual player.”
It is safe to assume the seven-times FA Cup winners will not be too upset if they fail to win the competition for an eighth time, such is the emphasis on the Premier League around Anfield.
But Adrian has a deep appreciation for the vagaries of the tournament. From the lows last season, losing 4-2 to lowly AFC Wimbledon, in what would be his last Hammers appearance, to the highs of scoring the winner – in a penalty shoot-out against Everton – five years ago this month. “I have great memories of the FA Cup,” he said.