Programme notesJürgen Klopp: Form and past results mean nothing when we face United
Nobody in Liverpool's dressing room will take their 5-0 win at Old Trafford into consideration ahead of tonight's clash with Manchester United at Anfield, Jürgen Klopp has stated.
The Reds host their arch-rivals a touch under six months on from recording one of the club’s greatest away victories when they routed United on their own patch.
However, Klopp insists that unforgettable afternoon in Manchester will have no bearing on this evening’s contest.
“It was only a few weeks ago that I said every game for the rest of this season would be a final. To be honest, I didn’t need to say that about tonight’s fixture. If there is one game in our schedule which will always be a final, it is Liverpool versus Manchester United,” the boss writes in his official matchday programme notes.
“If ever a match needs zero build-up it is this one. Just being involved in games like this is a privilege. The history of the two clubs and the rivalry that exists between them is so special that you don’t even have to come from Liverpool or Manchester to be able to appreciate it.
“I knew all about it when I lived and worked in Germany and the same goes for so many people around the world who love football. It is an English ‘Clasico’ in this respect.
“If I was not fortunate enough to be manager of one of the two teams, I would want a ticket to watch Liverpool and United play against each other.
“It would not matter what the competition is or how well the teams are performing, the intensity and the passion that this kind of rivalry brings is always so big that it is almost compulsory to take an interest.
“I know that there will be some who will look at the result last time our two clubs met and will view tonight’s fixture as a foregone conclusion. I cannot help those people and I am glad that we will have no-one like this in our dressing room.
“I also know, having spoken to some of the people involved, that even when Liverpool were dominant in the 1980s, United were always their toughest opponent. Again, this is because of the rivalry and I expect tonight to be no different.
“Past results do not matter. Form does not matter. Placings in the league table do not matter. The only thing that does matter will be the way we approach the game on the pitch.
“I love this. I love the fact that giving everything and being brave in a football sense is what gives you the best chance of being successful in fixtures like this one. We alone are responsible for our performance and we will embrace this responsibility in the same way that we always do.”
- Pick up your copy of the programme at Anfield this evening or order online here
