Klopp on crowd performance, taking on Arsenal and Wenger respect

The manager was delighted with the performance of the crowd in helping the Reds overcome Bundesliga opposition in their Champions League play-off second leg on Wednesday, admitting it was difficult to communicate with his players such was the level of noise.

Now he wants more of the same when Arsenal travel to Merseyside this weekend for a meeting of the sides who finished fourth and fifth respectively in last season’s Premier League table.

In his pre-match press conference at Melwood, Klopp also outlined the threat the Gunners will pose to Liverpool’s hopes of clinching three points and reiterated his respect for his opposite number, Arsene Wenger.

Read on for a summary of what he had to say - or watch it in full for free below.

On the challenge of taking on Arsenal…

Arsenal are still an outstandingly strong side. [Alexis] Sanchez is probably back for the first time on the pitch, so that gives this team another boost and [that] is, of course, an advantage for Arsenal. But I think we can all still remember the atmosphere of Wednesday night and that’s what we want to have again, even though it will be Sunday afternoon. It’s what we want to have again. It’s a very special game, like always against the top teams in the Premier League. We need the help again from the crowd, I think really it was already really good but it can still be better. Let’s work even better together and make it really difficult for all the teams to get anything here. We know about the quality of Arsenal, there is no doubt - they are a good side.

On whether this fixture could have a bearing on the end-of-season title challengers…

In this moment it looks like Man United will be champions without conceding a goal or missing a point, and the rest is already decided! I have no idea, I don’t think it’s important in this moment. If somebody wants to look at a game and think about this, you’re welcome. It is really early in the season, but already really important. Next week we have an international break and all the players go away until the fifth [of September].

It’s a very, very, very important game. Last year we had an outstandingly good record against the top six, but we didn’t take any points from the rest of the league! So we thought it makes sense to do the one thing again and get a few more points from all the other games. But it’s still difficult, it was always difficult and will stay difficult. It is Arsenal; big experience, big quality, speed, technical skills, different systems, good players in each position on the pitch and they are all coming back now, defence line, Sanchez, all that stuff. It was never easy for us since I’ve been here, probably it was never easy for Liverpool in the last 20 years, so we don’t look for it. We take it like it is and try to do our best.

On how he views Liverpool’s attacking play in the early stages of the season…

It was as good as I expected it to be. I think the biggest difference, for example, between Crystal Palace and Hoffenheim was that we had at least two of them [forward players] in the box. Goal one, Emre Can, I don’t think we had a similar situation in the Crystal Palace game. The attacking three, nice, but Emre scored. Second goal was Gini Wijnaldum in the middle of the box, [hit the] post, and Mo Salah allowed to finish the job. Then again with Emre for the third goal at the back post, cross, wonderful play. We couldn’t have scored this goal against Crystal Palace. We know where we have to be, but we need to go there and it needs to feel right in the right moment. The timing is important and then, yes, we can be an offensive threat.

Then, the questions are ‘offensively you’re really strong, but you still concede goals’… Oh my God, yes that’s true – we concede goals and different goals. The first goal against Hoffenheim we could have cleared the situation. We had the ball but instead of shooting it to Manchester, we kept the game a little bit open and in the end they scored. It was not easy to defend then anymore, but it was not a defensive mistake – it was more not doing the right thing in the right moment. The other was a cross we didn’t avoid, so yes, we could have done better in this situation. The one-on-one situation we could have done better with Joel, or we could have sent another player there.

In the end, the ball is in the air and that’s why you have to avoid crosses so then the striker has exactly the same chance as you have. If anyone wants to say all other defenders in the world would have won this challenge, then I simply cannot give them one minute of my time because that is not right or the truth. We have to avoid the cross and we could have defended better, but it is not the position in between the two strikers to win this challenge. It is possible but not really likely. I am fine with defence, I am fine with the offence. We’ve won three games and should have won the first one [at Watford] without a perfect performance. Now we play Arsenal and that’s the situation.

We work with the things we have, we work on the mistakes we make, we work to make the strengths even stronger. That’s what we do all of the time after we’ve recovered from the last game. Today is an important day, tomorrow is an important day and then Sunday we try again.

On combating Alexis Sanchez...

The difficulty with Alexis Sanchez is that he's pretty much involved in each situation, he is not fixed in one position. Wherever he is, he is very dominant; coming deep, half-space, wing, centre. [He is a] world-class player. That makes it difficult. We don't have to think too much about it, we defend in space, we don't follow him all over the pitch. We need to avoid the passes, that's how it always was when we played against them, all the good results were with Alexis Sanchez, I think. If you are too much concentrated on him then, 100 per cent, Mesut Ozil will show up, [Olivier] Giroud, [Alexandre] Lacazette, [Theo] Walcott - oh my God - [Danny] Welbeck, I don't want to forget anybody. Then [Aaron] Ramsey shoots from 25 yards or whatever or [Granit] Xhaka shoots from 40 yards - that's all possible. So you don't have to think too much about the quality of them, we have the tactical skills, or tools, to make it more difficult, and that’s the first job to do. Then, when we have the ball, we need to know where we have to play and that’s what preparation is for.

On Arsene Wenger's longevity at Arsenal...

Obviously, Arsene loves what he is doing. Obviously, he has all the energy he thinks he needs to do it. That's the only person who can judge this - OK, apart from the board at Arsenal [but] they think the same and they extended the contract. It was a hard season. After this long, unbelievable, successful time, being always involved in the Champions League, being always close to things, winning things, you can get the feeling that a few people don’t want you there anymore. I don't understand it but I am not in the situation, so the only thing I can say is [that] I really respect him a lot and really respect all the things he did in the past for Arsenal but also for football in general. He's a big, big, big manager in the history of the Premier League, of football, and he has the power still and that’s all you need actually. So, I'm happy he is still there and we meet again on Sunday.