Jürgen Klopp Q&A: Porto analysis, defending, 'exceptional' Jota and more
Jürgen Klopp insists Liverpool's emphatic victories on their previous two trips to FC Porto count for nothing as they face the Portuguese side again on Tuesday night.
The Reds defeated Porto in the Champions League knockout rounds in both 2018 and 2019, claiming decisive 5-0 and 4-1 wins respectively at Estadio do Dragao.
This time, they meet in the group stage, with Klopp’s men seeking to build on the 3-2 result against AC Milan earlier this month that gave them an early lead of a section that also includes Atletico Madrid.
The manager spoke to the media at a press conference ahead of the 8pm BST kick-off – read a full transcript of his exchange with reporters below…
On whether there is any concern about Liverpool’s defensive performance at Brentford on Saturday…
It’s not that much a concern because I don’t think you should make these things bigger than they are, but we have to show a reaction, that’s for sure. I think it’s really tricky to win a football game when you are not defending on your highest level, that’s what we didn’t do. I know in the common opinion it’s always like we then talk about only the last line, but it was not only that problem. We had in general a problem with our defending and that’s why Brentford caused us some problems. That’s not good. Porto is a different team obviously, will play a different style but will go direct as well, will go for second balls as well. We have to improve in that department for sure, but it’s not now the moment for being concerned or whatever. We spoke about it obviously and we know we cannot do it like that, so I think we sorted that and we have to show that tomorrow, that’s right.
On how different he expects this Porto side to be, compared to the ones Liverpool faced in 2018 and 2019…
Porto always change a little bit because they obviously have players going out and players coming in. Still the same manager. It’s not an advantage at all that we won the last two games there, absolutely not, because you only have to think of yourself in the position of the opponent – the first thing you want to do is make sure similar things will not happen again. So that makes the job not easier for us. But it’s not about that, we are not like that, we don’t think about the last two games we played there, we think about this game. They obviously have different opportunities to set up, line-up-wise, system-wise, and we have to prepare for that. Usually they play 4-4-2, but they changed already to a 4-5-1 in moments. They can obviously play with two strikers, which is a difference, or play Corona as a winger or as a full-back. There are different options they have and we have to be ready for that. But that’s the plan. We don’t have a lot of time obviously, with yesterday recovery and today second-day recovery. Tomorrow we cannot really train there because all the people in Porto are still Portuguese so we cannot really do – even when we train at Boavista or wherever – the information will get out. So, we cannot do shape or something like that tomorrow morning. We have to do everything today in a light version and make sure that we are ready tomorrow.
On whether the Reds can take confidence or ‘good vibes’ into the game having scored nine goals on their last two visits to Porto…
No. The last time we came there we didn’t think about the game before, when we won there 4-1. Because it just makes no sense. We all know most of the games can go either way, that’s how it is. There are decisive moments in the game where you have to score. If you don’t score but they score in the decisive moment… Yes, we were good, we are good, that’s all clear, but they are a top side, no doubt about that. They qualify year in, year out for the Champions League, they are always first or second in the Portuguese league, that’s a top team. That’s what we are preparing for, not for a team we beat in the past. That’s why I said for us it’s not an advantage. For them, of course it’s for sure another reason for being motivated on the highest level, that’s clear. That’s the situation, we cannot change that, I’m still happy that we won the games when we were there. But we don’t think we have won this game already halfway or whatever. We know it will be tricky.
On the advantage a win on Tuesday night would give Liverpool in the group…
Counting points you don’t have already, I really never did that, don’t understand it, don’t know how it works. This is a tough group obviously and we should not waste time to get as many points as possible. But that means nothing. The game, Atletico-Porto, which we obviously watched, was a tough one; if one team would have deserved to win it, it would have been Porto. It says a lot, the Spanish champions – not sure if they are top of the table in the moment, maybe not – that says a lot and that’s the team we face tomorrow, not a team we can take the points before we work for them, not at all. We are now often enough in this competition to know you cannot win a game before the game, you have to be ready in the game.
On Diogo Jota’s first year with the club…
Exceptional player, really happy we signed him. Honestly, he’s a really strong personality – you cannot know about that before you meet the person. He’s really, even for his young age, a very mature man, so that makes it really enjoyable to work with him. We spoke about it from time to time – it’s not easy to improve us. But Diogo did definitely. Scored important goals, is actually a player made for our style: pretty intense, technically good, really fast, good in the air, both feet really good. So, Diogo is a very interesting package and I’m really happy that we saw that and we could realise the transfer. That helped us a lot. The first year was obviously not completely free of any struggles because of the injury which he got at Midtjylland. That was not perfect. But when he was available, when he was fit, he always helped us a lot.
On the latest fitness news and the squad that will travel to Portugal…
A big one. A big squad will travel, we have 23 players with us. Apart from the longer-term injuries, I think they are all in. So, no Thiago, no Harvey, the rest is available. But we have one too much, we have to make a decision about that, who will train here and who will come with us. But no new concerns in the moment, hopefully it stays like this.
On Curtis Jones and how he can ‘make the next step’…
The last game, the Brentford game, is a really good example. That’s how Curtis has to play, that consistent. That’s how it is. He was defensively really good, he won important balls. Offensively, he was involved in pretty much everything, he scored a wonderful goal. He could score exactly the same goal with his left foot, which makes it really special. Play like this and better obviously and everything is fine, that’s the situation. In midfield, these really rare moments when they are all fit then I have to make a few decisions. And it’s about the players who are involved in the three or four or whatever, how many midfielders we line up. And you only can do that in the training sessions. It’s no criticism. Even when you are really, really good in training, you have to be especially good to be one of the three I line up. Because I am completely open, I don’t start any kind of week and think, ‘I know already what we will do against them and them.’ The few sessions we have, I watch really about the detail and then it’s about the players. It is not that difficult, but it is difficult, if you want. That’s what Curtis has to do and he’s doing that. Sometimes the decisions were still against him – not against him, in favour of another player. That’s it. But performances like the last one help for sure to give more game time.
On if Georginio Wijnaldum has been replaced in the club’s captaincy group…
We had the three [who] stayed and then the players voted for another three. The three are then obviously Hendo, Millie and Virg. Then the next most votes got: Trent, Robbo and Alisson Becker. Because obviously we had a problem last year that from time to time that many players couldn’t play, we had no-one of the players’ committee available anymore. So I thought it makes sense to increase this group a little bit, that’s what we did.