Press conferenceJürgen Klopp analysis of Chelsea, Stefan Bajcetic, midweek win and more
Jürgen Klopp assessed the threat Chelsea will pose at Anfield and how Liverpool can come out on top in Saturday's meeting during a pre-match press conference.
The Reds boss answered questions from assembled journalists at the AXA Training Centre on Friday afternoon to preview the Premier League encounter.
Read on to view a summary of what he had to say...
On the Chelsea game...
When we did the analysis meeting and you get a list of the other team and then [you see] the injuries – I think it's the only team with a similar injury list like ours. It’s tough, that's the biggest problem. Honestly, Arsenal deserve to be where they are in the moment, play outstanding football, top, top, top. But cut out five players, or three of their offensive players, and nobody would think, 'Oh Arsenal, where are you?' So, that's how it is. The injuries are a massive problem and Chelsea has them as much as we have – it's not the only problem but it's a big problem – so that’s why I am not surprised.
But then you look at the games they played, and they lost quite a few in the last few weeks but against teams in form, I would say – they played City twice, for sure Newcastle. So it is not now where you think, 'OK, give them 6-0 and send them home.' It was a tough period because when you watch Chelsea there is still a lot of good football in the game. It's a bit of a situation, I don't say we played now particularly well in the last weeks, but when you don’t use your own chances and the opponent uses the first, that's the good sign for a bad period, and that happens a little bit more often. So, I don’t sit here now and think, 'OK, thank God Chelsea is coming, they have even bigger problems than us.' No, no. I know how good they are and can be. It will be the next tough game.
On what he wants to see from his side in the second half of the season...
Again, consistency in a good way. Consistently up to it. That we have to defend on an incredibly high level – what we didn't do often enough – and based on that we will create chances, there's no doubt about that. Will we then create immediately 20 a game? Probably not, but that's not the main issue. So the game against Wolves, I know, it was a very good example. The end was a bit hectic again – there was not a big chance but if they score a goal there and we would go to extra-time and I wouldn’t have fancied that, to be honest, after such an intense game – but a lot of things were what we have to do, looked like the things we have to do. That means we have to defend together – everybody.
Jürgen Klopp's pre-Chelsea press conference
Defending, you cannot do by moving a little bit here or there. It's intense – it was never different, will never be different. Nothing to do with style or whatever. You can have the deepest defending on the pitch, if you're all together it's intense. We have to show we are ready for that all the time and that’s what we try. It was a really nice sign, this Wolves game. It was a really nice sign that it’s possible, after two days and a real low point, going there, making eight changes, and be really together. We go there and we played good football stuff, in a lot of moments much better than before. It didn't end always in a chance or whatever but how we were together, how we played together, how the distances were – so many good football things for a coach. When you sit there and watch it again, you think, 'That's different, that's different.' That's what we try to build on now.
On whether Stefan Bajcetic is in his thoughts for another start...
He was always, he [has been] for a while. He was injured for two games, I think. He's in my thoughts. You cannot be closer to a team than be always in a squad, coming on, stuff like this. He was only not in a squad twice, I think, because he was injured – but nothing serious but painful. He was out, now he played and, yes, he's closer.
On new Chelsea signing Mykhailo Mudryk...
Good player, a really good player. Obviously he played an incredible Champions League campaign with his former club. Speed, technique, goals, combines a lot, so having him on one wing and, for example, Joao Felix on the other – interesting. So Chelsea obviously sorts the problems differently to us, so let’s see. Joao Felix played after two days, after three days when he arrived, right? Pretty much immediately. So, you probably can expect him to play – that makes the analysis a little more difficult, but we know him. I cannot say I watched a lot of games in the Ukrainian league but we watched Champions League and it was impressive enough.
On preparing for this Chelsea game...
Graham Potter likes to play in a specific way and that's still clear, and that's what we prepare for. But other things in football will always be independent of what the opponent will do – not everything but some things are and what is the most important part for us in this specific case because we have to go for consistency. I think everybody who saw the [Wolves] game thought, 'OK, that looks at least a little bit like Liverpool.' We had the challenges in the right moment, we won them, we played out of that, we didn't lose the balls immediately, these kind of things. As good as the opponent – and they are really good – we have to sort our problems and cause them problems and then we will see.