WE HAVE NOTHING TO BE SCARED OF, INSISTS LIVERPOOL MANAGER-JURGEN KLOPP

            

Klopp accepts that his team have been 'wounded' by injuries but he believes 'anything is possible' on Sunday

It was right at the end of Jürgen Klopp’s Melwood press briefing when the F-word was used for the first time.

“Jürgen, what do you fear about Sunday?” came the question.

“Fear?” he responded, as if he’d never heard such foul language; his eyes narrowing, his lips pursing and his arms reaching out from his blue jean pockets into a fold.

“[Yes], fear.”

“Nothing, what could I fear?”

“Just that your team might not be at its best moment and Man United are up…”

Klopp proceeded to give the impression that United will face a wounded animal in Liverpool, admittedly wounded because of the injuries in his squad – but wounded too by the manner of the performance at Southampton during Wednesday night’s 1-0 defeat in the League Cup semi-final first leg.

“At this moment, anything is possible. It could be that United are not at their best level on Sunday, just nobody knows about it yet,” he said. 

“I don’t fear things like this. I’ve had enough time in the game to realise what happens. At this moment I’m 100 per cent positive, absolutely looking forward to the game. I’ve had so many defeats in my life, especially as a player – as a manager too, that I really know defeat is not the problem. Your reaction to it is the problem. We’ve had four days to react from a really bad game on our side by playing in a very important game. I love it. That’s how football should be: you can react immediately. So let’s think about this and not what could happen if we can’t do it.”

Klopp had earlier reminded that back when United visited Anfield in October, Liverpool were the favourites with United supposedly turning up only for slaughter. United have lost only one league game since but despite their run, they are still five points behind Liverpool. It was offered to Klopp that United would not be able to catch his team if they go to Old Trafford and win.

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