Press conferenceJürgen Klopp: We have to cherish and enjoy a Champions League semi-final
Jürgen Klopp spoke of his desire for everybody associated with Liverpool to savour the occasion when his side take on Villarreal in the Champions League semi-finals.
The Reds begin their last-four tie with the Europa League holders at Anfield on Wednesday evening, hoping to claim an important first-leg advantage before the return trip to Spain.
Competing for a spot in the final of Europe's elite club competition once again, Klopp explained why he and his players can never take such a ‘special’ opportunity for granted.
Read on for a transcript of the boss' pre-match press conference...
On facing Unai Emery's Sevilla in the 2016 Europa League final and what step that game was in Liverpool's development...
I didn’t think about that final for a while, to be honest. When I thought about Unai, we faced him against Arsenal, for example. Yeah, it was important. I said it after that night, I think, that we will come back, without knowing that we will come back. In that moment I really thought we would have a good chance to come back stronger – and we did. That night was a tough one to take, we played a really good first half, should have scored more, scored one more [that] didn’t count, I can't remember the reason anymore, to be honest. But it was game like No.64 or whatever in that season and it was an incredibly tough season for us, a lot of injury problems when we arrived there, players only came back a few days before the final. So, you cannot now really compare football games, especially when six years lie between them. Look, would anything have been different since then if we would have won that night? I don’t think so, to be honest. I would've loved to lift the trophy that night but how it is, you have to learn from these things and that’s what we try to do.
On the threat Villarreal pose...
Of course we did the proper analysis. I had a lot of respect for Unai Emery and Villarreal before, because I saw the games but only with one eye against Bayern, Juve a little bit. But meanwhile, I watched them properly and, wow, impressive. Unai looks like, if you watch his team, a detail-obsessed manager who prepares for all different situations in a game and that's what his team is executing. It’s really, really good – different ways to build up, different ways to press, different ways to react on different results. Really, really impressive. Obviously Unai is a world-class coach and is doing an incredible job there. So saying that, the good thing about all the analysis is we are not involved in these games. We have to fit in us then and our job has to be that we must make life as difficult as possible for them as well. That’s what we try to do over these two legs.
On when the 'treating every game as a final’ approach started this season...
I think the moment was when I came back from my COVID break, to be honest, when I watched the game against Chelsea. Was the next league game Brentford? I think it was Brentford, if I'm right. It was obvious. I think we were 14 points behind in that moment, two games in hand and that's where we decided, let’s give it a try. Because it is easy in these moments, we have big expectations before a season, big ambitions, and then during the season it's OK and we played an OK season until then but obviously not an outstanding season.
So there was still something to go for and in our situation it's always the same: the main thing we have to do, first and foremost, is to qualify for the Champions League for the next year. It was a big moment, to be honest, I think we did that after the United game and it slipped through my fingers – what never happened before in my life, to be honest. There’s usually a night where you really celebrate it but I had to get reminded about that fact the next day. So that’s big and that’s what we had to try obviously.
It was not only City in that moment, Chelsea were in front of us and other teams I'm pretty sure, I don't know it anymore. But since then, each game is a final. Actually, each football game should be like a final, but if you have to make it up too much then it's maybe not that clear and then you cannot really behave like that. But since then we behaved like that, that's the truth. It will not change until somebody tells us it's not worth fighting anymore. We try.
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On suffering one defeat in 2022...
We are here because we had the results we needed, so that's it. We don’t have to talk today – and especially not today – about other competitions because our full focus is definitely on Villarreal and the semi-final. It is absolutely special to be part of the semi-final, it's crazy, really. It's a massive game. So many coaches, so many players out there try to work their socks off their whole life and have no chance to be close to a semi-final. And we are there, so we have to cherish it, we have to appreciate it, of course, but we have to enjoy it as well.
Yes, we face a very, very difficult opponent, that's true. They are made for this competition, to be 100 per cent honest, because of the way they set it up. It's really, really good. I think there might have been a little advantage in the last two games, where Juve or maybe Bayern underestimated them – but that never happened to us, these kind of things. Especially after these four games, there is no chance anymore, so this little advantage might have gone. But apart from that, they still are a really, really good football team who obviously wants to make history as well. I think it would be the first time that they would be part of the final, which is a massive thing for Villarreal, I can imagine so. But for us it is the same importance. We want to go there with all we have and that’s what we have to show tomorrow night.
On the difference in Villarreal's tactics in La Liga and the Champions League...
I cannot understand a lot about the domestic form, but they are seventh in the league, they're in a really good run of results. I don't know exactly how the first part of the season was. In between the quarter-final [against Bayern], if I'm right they played Bilbao and Unai changed 11 times and they drew there. And now after that they won against Valencia, who were in the cup final, which is difficult as well. If the season would go longer, they probably would end up again in the Champions League spots or wherever but that's how it is. Spain is obviously a very competitive league as well, up there in the league is always the same three pretty much and then Sevilla this year are really good, these kind of things. It's a difficult league to play in and to be successful in. Unai shows that he really has a plan for each result – as long as the game's 0-0, when you are 1-0 up, 1-0 down, more possession, less possession, all these kind of things. In the league you can see there are games where they have much more possession and other games where they have lesser possession. So just everything is involved and if they are not winning, they are close to it. That's really impressive and in a cup competition you need exactly that – a plan for each possible result. First, go for it and then deal with it – that's what we have to do as well.
On whether a similar performance to Barcelona at Anfield in 2019 is needed...
Highlights: Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Yes, we need the atmosphere, we need the performance, but we need a different performance as well because it is a completely different game. Barcelona were, that night, set up completely different to what Villarreal are doing. But, yes, we need a big game, we need to be on top of our game. I need to be on top of my game – and before and during the game, the boys as well. That's completely fine, completely fine, because a semi-final in the Champions League, if that would be easy then something would be really completely wrong. That is why I can't wait, honestly. Even in this hectic schedule, playing all the time, in a week with City, United and Everton, but if you need a next game to be 1,000 per cent in then bring on Villarreal in the Champions League.
On having 20 different goalscorers this season...
First of all, it is a wonderful statistic because I never had that, to be honest, that 20 players of my squad scored a goal during a season, which is wonderful. In the world we are living in, for me a block on the line is like scoring a goal, to be honest; if you defensively block a ball on the line, it is like scoring a goal, but we don’t count them, there is no list for them. So, otherwise, Ali didn't score this season but obviously he had a few saves that I count like scoring a goal. It's great and, yes, there are different ways to win football games and you have to find one. That's what we had to show, this ability or strength, at the weekend [against Everton] because the first half was obviously not really good, but that doesn’t mean you should stop there. No, you start from there – learning from the first half, try to improve and cause the opponent more problems, and then we scored goals. One of them was Robbo. His first in front of the Kop? Good! We found a way... and we have to find a way tomorrow as well.
We have two halves to play, one is here and one is there, and we know that when we go to Villarreal, whatever result we get tomorrow night, it will be an incredibly emotional atmosphere there and that’s what we have to create tomorrow night as well. It's nice if you play first away and you have a result you can fight for in the second leg at home with your crowd, but who cares? That's now how it is, so we have to make sure we really are completely on top of our game – everybody in the stadium. Our supporters are smart supporters, they watch football and they know Villarreal are really strong. There are moments where we will suffer tomorrow, definitely, I know that now already – and that's what we have to be ready for and there is no need for getting nervous or whatever. We can make them suffer as well and that’s what we have to do, all together. This advantage, first at home, we have to use. I don’t know which result we will get, but whichever result we do get we will work with it and fight at Villarreal because it means everything to us to reach the Champions League final. That's what we have to show.
On the pressure of trying to win every game...
Since I am here it is like this. We just didn't do it in the beginning often enough, but it was exactly like that. Wherever we go, whatever situation you are in, good or bad – you won the last game or you lost the last game – we are Liverpool and wherever we arrive, everybody will fight like it was the last game of the season against you. We have to fight like we didn't win for the last 12 years. That’s the situation since I am here and it didn’t change. It is just like the situation in general gave us this extra… 'If we want to do something this year, we better start now because otherwise it could be over before it really started.' That's it, pretty much. The situation since I am here, do you remember a game where you thought, 'If they lose today, nobody cares’? I really can’t remember, so the mindset was like this, is like this and will be like this.