Klopp on play-off, Nagelsmann and the transfer window
Jürgen Klopp discussed the challenge of Hoffenheim, his opposite number in the Champions League play-off, and the transfer window at a media conference on Monday.
The manager and his 22-man squad had earlier arrived in Germany ahead of the first leg against the Bundesliga side, who are coached by 30-year-old Julian Nagelsmann.
Klopp provided updates on the respective fitness of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge at his briefing with the press at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
And he also fielded questions on the prospect of facing Hoffenheim, the recent managerial rise of Nagelsmann and the workings of the transfer window.
Read on for a transcript…
On the opportunity to take Liverpool into the group stages…
I’m not sure if I see it exactly like this – an opportunity to do this or that. The last matchday of last season, against Middlesbrough, was the end of May. We fought really hard for this opportunity. After the game, we knew we were fourth but we had no idea if we were seeded or not. Then at night, when we celebrated the fourth place, somebody came in and said we were seeded. We were really happy about this and then we saw who we could still get… and we thought ‘Oh!’ That’s actually the job to do.
For three months we have been really looking forward to this game. Now we are here in a good mood and looking forward to the game, knowing about the quality of the opponent. The difficulty of the game and the challenge is all clear, but it’s just good to be here after a long time, good to have the chance to do it even when we know that it’s really hard.
Of course, we know much more about Hoffenheim than you can know. We know everything. That’s what we have said and will say to the team; not to make them too strong, just to tell them who we will face and the quality we will face. Of course, in football there are also weaknesses. They are strong, we are strong – that’s how it should be. And both have the big aim to go into the group stage and that makes it really exciting.
On whether it’s easier or more difficult to play an opponent without European experience…
I’m not really interested in the experience some opponents have. You have to learn those things, you have to do things and get your own experience. In general, I’m not really interested in that. We have been together for 20 months and we always try to give good analysis to our players so they take that analysis as the truth and know what is happening with the opponent. We show them images of the opponent and they are quite clear and speak for themselves; we have an opponent who is very self-confident and aggressive. That’s part of the game. We know everything and we know about their quality, what they do on the pitch. A name or experience is really not my interest. But we know it will be difficult, like it always is in the Champions League.
On Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann…
He is a big, big, big coaching talent. We don’t know each other well because we never had the time. When I left Germany, I’m not sure if he was still U19 coach or something like this. But since he was in the Bundesliga, we write messages and things like this, I really follow his way since then because I like good football, and obviously his team is playing interesting and good football. I follow his way. He’s not the only one, but he’s a good example for a lot of really good, young managers in Germany. So it’s an interesting time on the manager market in Germany.
On whether the transfer window should close at the beginning of the season…
It would have helped us this year and in general it’s always like that. There’s a phenomenon and then people start looking for answers, looking for solutions. In general, I think it makes sense that when the season is starting, the planning for the team is over. But I also understand that some things take a little bit more time. I wouldn’t say it became more difficult; it just changed, the whole market changed and the behaviour of people and everything changed. It’s good to be with your whole team on the training pitch and everybody finds each other and you get a whole team, so everybody plays well with each other. Then, eventually, you get some new players to complete the team. The best thing would be that this whole team stays together for four or five years. I know that it’s quite naïve to say something like that, I know that the market has changed and it has become very hectic. But, nonetheless, we are here today, we wouldn’t take that as an excuse – we have a good team and we’re happy to be here.