'My team gave me a lot of really good signs to work with'
Jürgen Klopp's first game in charge of Liverpool was at Tottenham Hotspur last October - and ahead of his second visit to White Hart Lane, the manager has offered an assessment of his first 11 months in the job.
Saturday’s trip to north London represents Klopp’s 56th fixture as Reds boss, with his tenure so far featuring the highs of unforgettable victories over the likes of Borussia Dortmund and both Manchester clubs, and the lows of two cup final defeats.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Thursday morning, Klopp acknowledged that his reign to date has been a mixture of good and bad, while also outlining his belief that 2016-17 can be a successful season.
“I made a few summaries after last season: good things, not-so-good things, the need for development - all that stuff. This is a new season, a lot of expectation from our side, from outside - that’s how it is,” the manager said.
“A summer break is good when you have the time to work together, but you need to find rhythm - that’s why all the teams don’t play their best football in this moment.
“I would say they can all improve, they can all do better in the next few weeks and months. That’s the same for us and the same for Tottenham.
“Both teams have consistency in the squad, there are of course new players but not too many changes [since last October]. It will be exciting what will happen there. They are still strong, of course, they’ve brought a few very good players in with the basis of their former squad.
“For us, everything could have been better, but it could have been worse. We’re still on the way. My team gave me a lot of really good signs to work with. The last defeat always feels stronger than the last win and Burnley is not too long ago.
“But so far, so good, everything is OK. We are quite optimistic for the season, but of course we know how tough it will be at Tottenham.”