Jürgen: An early start for Southampton analysis
An early analysis session on the threats posed by Southampton has armed Jürgen Klopp with the information he needs for Liverpool's clash with the Saints.
Within 12 hours of the full-time whistle signalling a 1-1 Europa League draw against Rubin Kazan, the manager was studying the Reds’ next opponents alongside his staff at Melwood.
“We started to analyse Southampton this morning,” he told reporters during his lunchtime pre-match press conference.
“We were together for an hour and I know much more about them. I saw the game against Chelsea – not too bad! I knew something and now I know more.”
Having won two of their previous three Barclays Premier League games, including a 3-1 result at Stamford Bridge, Ronald Koeman’s team are ahead of Klopp’s on goal difference.
The German, meanwhile, is still searching for his first victory with Liverpool following the stalemates against Rubin and Tottenham Hotspur.
He said: “Now we have to look at how the players are after a very intensive game. We’ll see what we can do for Sunday.
“It’s obvious what their strength is; they are well organised, of course, they try to press high with six players, and four stay a little bit deeper. You have to play football if you can, you have to play long balls, you have to fight for second balls – that’s what they do.
“They want to play if you let them. If not, they have [Graziano] Pelle. It’s a good thing to give him the ball because he’s very physical and technical, a really good striker.
“They have [Sadio] Mane around him - big speed, a big talent, a really good player. And [Dusan] Tadic on the left wing; I heard he had the most crosses in the Premier League.
“You know how they want to play, they are in good shape and they have seven points from the last three games. They were close to a victory against Leicester but maybe they closed the book a little bit too early and they came back to draw.
“They are a good team and it’s not an easy game. But we are at home and that’s what we want to show.”
Klopp declared Liverpool were ‘98 per cent OK’ but were missing the decisive finish as Rubin held firm at Anfield on Thursday despite a first-half red card.
The Reds dominated the second period and struck the post through substitute Christian Benteke but were forced to settle for a third straight Europa League draw.
Two weeks into his tenure, the boss has nevertheless noted enough evidence of the instructions being given in training translating to the team’s performances.
“I have seen many things we have done in training in the game,” Klopp said.
“I didn’t expect that we would run through the league from the moment I started here. This league is too strong, the opponents are too strong. We don’t have enough time between the games to always be 20 per cent better in the next game.
“But I have seen many things. I see it in set plays, in the defensive play. We knew [Rubin] would play like they played, with a deep formation. We tried to do it in two exercises to be prepared.
“But you have to make the goal. My first job is to give the team some ideas to come into the box, to be dangerous for them so that they have problems to defend.
“There were many good things, but of course if you see the whole game, at the end you feel ‘here you could have done better’. That’s the truth, of course, but that’s football. It’s always the same. You don’t think about these things after a game if you made a second and third goal. But it’s the same.
“I want the result with all my body gives me, but if it’s over I have to analyse the next result.”