Jürgen Klopp: Let's make Barcelona tie a football party
Jürgen Klopp wants the second leg of Liverpool's Champions League semi-final with Barcelona to be a 'football party' as he stressed his side need to be perfect in order to have any hopes of securing a dramatic comeback.
The Reds must overcome a 3-0 deficit on Tuesday night to reach the Madrid final following the result at Camp Nou last week.
Klopp acknowledged the mammoth task his players have in front of them during a press conference on Monday afternoon, but insists it will not deter them or those supporters inside Anfield.
Read on for a summary of the manager's pre-match comments...
On how scoring one goal would have Anfield rocking...
I will imagine the place will be rocking before we score already, to be honest. That's what I expect. If we can score, that's how it is. But look we not only have to score, we have to deny Barcelona from scoring and it doesn't happen too often that Barcelona doesn't score at all. We know about how big the challenge is. This team is just so wonderful that they will try, we all will try, 100 per cent. But that doesn't mean that it will work out, that's how it is as well.
The result in Barcelona didn't help a lot honestly. We were 3-0 down, we try to score and we tried all the way through to score the one goal or the second goal as well. But that's now how it is, we have that result and we have to deal with that. But, in my understanding, you can only deal with it if you do it step by step. Nobody should think about after 10 minutes if we don't score... the last five minutes are enough to score three. It would be cool if it's then still 0-0. If we have to score five then it would make it slightly more difficult. But let's give it a try with all we have, that's how we always did it and that's what we will do again.
On having hope of a turnaround...
Yeah, because there's hope and it's football. We are far from giving up, but we are not in a situation where we say, 'It will happen, 100 per cent'. But it's football and that's why we give it a try and because of the boys and the character of the boys. Two of the world's best strikers are not available tomorrow night and we have to score four goals against Barcelona to go through after 90 minutes. It doesn't make life easier but as long as we have 11 players on the pitch then we will try it and everybody knows that. That's what we want to show, nothing else - just to celebrate the Champions League campaign and give it, either way, a proper finish or another go. That's pretty much the plan. Just try it and if we can do it then wonderful. Then if not, then fail in the most beautiful way if you want, with a close result. How I said, it's still a difficult job to do of course.
On drawing confidence from Barcelona going out to AS Roma in the Champions League last season after winning the first leg 4-1...
Yeah, but they [Roma] scored the away goal. That's what we didn't do and it's a big difference obviously. It gives us that hope. I don't want to sit here and give any reason to the Barcelona players and be even more motivated because I say we have this or that. I have enough time to speak to my players until tomorrow night and we will do that, we have to make a lot of decisions until then - who is fit. Tomorrow night will be the third game in six days and Barcelona changed 11 positions on Saturday, so that's a massive difference as well of course. We have to do it our way and that's what we will try. We cannot compare ourselves to Roma or anybody else, but we don't have to. The boys showed often enough that they don't give up and they will show it again tomorrow night. We will see what the outcome is.
On the plan to contain Lionel Messi and Barcelona...
To delete the word 'almost', that's the plan. It looks like you have to be perfect to beat them and we should try that. That's all, doing that step by step. Creating an atmosphere, using the atmosphere and celebrate the situation with good football. It should be a football party. We don't drink during the game - no alcohol at least - so we should then celebrate it with football. That's the plan. It's possible and a little bit likely that it will be the last Champions League game for this campaign, so let's celebrate it with our legs, with our lungs, with good decisions, with a sensational atmosphere and all that stuff. Then we will see what's the outcome.