Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp on the challenge of facing in form West Ham in the Premier League
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 I just want to say this is utterly bizarre.
00:05 Ready when you are?
00:08 We do a press conference, is that what we do now?
00:12 Why are we doing it?
00:14 Because we're being away to say thanks to the press conference on Friday.
00:19 That's for the West Ham?
00:21 Yes.
00:23 Sorry, I had the same thought as well.
00:27 I spent all this time researching Austrian football.
00:30 If you would have asked me now, I would have gone, "What's he talking about?"
00:33 So now I get it.
00:35 David Moyes, West Ham.
00:37 I'll try and avoid talking about that 6-0 win you're going to have in Austria.
00:43 The first question I'm going to ask you,
00:47 I've been thinking about this a lot as a fan,
00:50 last season when things maybe weren't quite going as well for you.
00:53 And I felt for you a little bit.
00:55 Things are going really well now, are you still enjoying it?
00:58 Massively. I enjoy the moment.
01:01 I enjoyed the first day since we were back, I enjoyed it a lot.
01:05 I was really excited about the rebuild,
01:08 I was really excited about the boys, the new way, the new energy.
01:16 We decided last year already that we have to change a lot,
01:21 we want to change it for good and not because we have to.
01:25 And, yeah, I'm really excited about it and still am.
01:29 So that's it. We are far away from people, we are really not there,
01:32 we are not stable yet, so many things not, but there are a lot of things already
01:37 and a lot of exciting moments in the games,
01:40 and I think that's a good start, not more.
01:43 But as a start it's absolutely OK.
01:46 I was watching back the highlights from the Aston Villa game,
01:49 so three games ago, and the club commentator said,
01:53 "The new Liverpool are here."
01:55 Is that how you see it as well?
01:57 That's why I'm not stable, because this was a really, really, really good game.
02:02 But then two weeks later after the international break
02:06 we played a really, really, really bad first half.
02:09 Nobody wants to see that, nobody wants to be part of it,
02:13 but it's part of the deal a little bit.
02:16 When you want to change things you can't expect that everything clicks
02:20 from the first moment, if you expect that you are never happy with the steps you make.
02:24 And that's important for development.
02:26 And, yes, Aston Villa was top, it was the new whatever you want, Liverpool 2.0.
02:34 I see it as well like that, but that's only one glimpse of what we can be,
02:41 because we don't know where that will end up, obviously.
02:45 So it was just a really good sign that we are at the moment going in the right direction,
02:52 and I think that's really important.
02:54 You've talked about players learning through this season so far,
02:58 you mentioned the Wolves game as well,
03:00 where do you see this team at the moment, how much are these players learning?
03:04 I don't know, I don't know where we are exactly,
03:06 because we showed these kind of different faces,
03:09 obviously the things we went through now already in this season,
03:15 that's usually enough for a whole season.
03:18 You have done these kind of things after 38 games,
03:21 and we have it after five - twice red card, ten men down, turning games,
03:27 and these things, and now did it again, played a really bad half and a very good half
03:33 and turned around again.
03:35 Obviously, again, it's not what you plan, it's not what you want,
03:39 but when you have it you have to go through it, and that's what we did.
03:43 So it shows just the boys grew already together in a manner and an extent
03:48 we probably didn't expect that early.
03:51 That's it. I cannot make any kind of...
03:56 I can't estimate at all how it will look in the next four or five weeks,
04:02 the only thing I can do is work extremely hard to make it as positive as possible.
04:08 But there are so many extremely strong opponents, West Ham is one of them,
04:13 when you see them, a really exciting project as well.
04:17 I'm happy for David, that he really could build this team now over a few years,
04:24 and even with Jack and Reiss out, they look really good, I have to say.
04:30 Wall Pro is super signing, Paqueta is not a new signing but is a super player,
04:35 with all the other guys they had already, that looks really solid.
04:39 And that makes it really tricky, and then we have all the other teams,
04:43 top four, five, six, plus, plus, plus, where you want to start, where you want to end.
04:48 The league is extremely strong, it's good for the people,
04:51 but it means for us we have to be the best version of ourselves.
04:55 On David Moyes, he had that pressure, then things have turned around for him,
05:00 he's now one of the longest-standing managers, as are you.
05:03 Do you think football fans are appreciating that it is worth sticking with the manager?
05:10 That depends on the results.
05:14 When you win, then it was worth waiting, if you lose, then it was not worth waiting.
05:20 So that's fine, I don't think there's a right answer for it.
05:25 Sometimes it's right to stick together and sometimes maybe not, I don't know.
05:30 It's not an example, but I think David with his history in the Premier League
05:35 and his history at West Ham, if anybody deserved to get through this...
05:40 ..little bit lesser good period, it's definitely him.
05:46 I think he's an exceptional manager, he's a really good guy.
05:50 We don't know each other extremely well, but we respect each other a lot.
05:56 I feel that when we speak to each other.
06:00 It's really nice to watch how they came through it and won the European trophy,
06:09 which is absolutely outstanding, and what it makes to the club.
06:13 It's a really cool project, I cannot say differently.
06:17 But we play them and that means we want to beat them.
06:22 Just asking about a player who, as an Englishman,
06:27 would be very excited about Jharrel Kwanzaa, 20 years old,
06:31 playing as a centre-half in a Premier League game.
06:34 For any England fan watching, would be going,
06:36 "This is one really good look to the future."
06:38 I'm not talking about England right now,
06:40 but where is he up to in his development and his journey here?
06:43 In the right moment, in the right club.
06:49 Yeah, that's it. It's our boy, fantastic boy.
06:54 Born with the U20s of England, obviously a massive, massive competition.
07:01 Played a super pre-season with us, that's really good.
07:08 And deserved to start in the last game.
07:14 Because, well, that's as easy as it is.
07:16 Some people might say it's a brave decision,
07:19 I didn't feel it was a brave decision from us.
07:21 Because we had obviously Ibu ready-ish to this training.
07:26 We had centre-halves, we had to bring them,
07:30 with half an hour training more or less,
07:33 because the others were not ready.
07:36 So I think we did it in more serious situations,
07:41 but because Gerrard was there, we didn't have to do it.
07:47 And he did really well, I liked it a lot.
07:51 It's nice to see the smile on his face after the game,
07:54 it's like he has now three games on his belly and nine points,
07:58 I think that's not a bad record.
08:00 Not bad indeed.
08:03 You've got this run now of league and cup games,
08:06 Europa League that's already happened, and EFL Cup as well,
08:12 can we see more young players fitting in here in the same way Gerrard has?
08:16 Yeah, but we will see.
08:19 I understand 100 per cent it's the early stages of the season,
08:25 as long as we have everybody fit,
08:28 then the very young boys probably will not have that much game time,
08:33 that's how it is when other players get out.
08:36 But in this age, when you're 17, 18, 19, it's not a problem,
08:41 it's nice to have a game here or there,
08:44 but it's much more important you have these games the moment you are really ready for it.
08:48 So it's not there to show that they are nearly there,
08:52 it's actually there to bring them when they are really ready to do it.
08:57 Some of them might be already or not, but that makes no difference.
09:01 At the end of the career, it's not important if your first game was in September 23 or 24,
09:07 it really doesn't matter.
09:09 But in that time, for a lot of people it makes a massive difference,
09:12 but when you look back, there is no difference.
09:15 For us it's about being as successful as possible, that's obviously very important,
09:19 but to use the player in the perfect moment for them.
09:24 West Ham are 4-0 beaten, then they've lost to City,
09:27 they're playing in the Europa League as well, like you are.
09:30 I know you get asked about fixture congestion and where games should be played all the time,
09:35 but how much of a difference are you going to have to prepare your team
09:38 to play at two o'clock on a Sunday?
09:40 That's no problem. Thursday, Sunday, two o'clock and stuff like this,
09:45 it's not cool, it would be better if we played a little bit later.
09:49 People misunderstand that when you talk about 12.30,
09:52 it's only two and a half hours before the three o'clock,
09:55 yes, that's true, but it's completely different when you have to get up.
09:58 We have a nine o'clock pre-match meal, that means the boys are not there yet,
10:02 because they come from a completely different time zone.
10:05 And everybody who has ever had a chat lag knows how that is,
10:09 even if you're not a chat lagger you still feel the difference.
10:12 Now you get up and you have to be at the absolute peak of your performance level
10:17 in a moment that's really difficult.
10:19 Two and a half, three hours after getting up, you cannot get the boys out of bed
10:23 at five o'clock in the morning just to make them 100 per cent ready for the game.
10:27 All these things are really difficult, and the only thing I'm asking for
10:30 is that you all, all the TV stations, help there,
10:34 because you want to have the best product as well,
10:36 and we want to have the best product.
10:38 It's not that we want to put them in cotton wool and say,
10:41 "Don't touch them until they're awake in the afternoon," or whatever it's about.
10:47 We have to help them to be in the best possible shape
10:52 to deliver the best possible performance.
10:55 And now, yeah, playing at two o'clock, it's much better than 12.30.
11:00 People might say it's only one and a half hours,
11:02 but you only can say that if you don't really understand the issue.
11:06 Darwin Nunez, I think I asked about him a lot as well.
11:10 Last game he had so many great chances getting into the right position.
11:14 As a neutral, it looks like he's doing all the right things.
11:18 Is his confidence as high as you want it to be?
11:22 He's in a really good moment, enjoys his game.
11:26 At the moment, it's fine.
11:28 He understands he has only a problem as a striker.
11:32 If you don't have any chances, he has chances, opportunities.
11:35 Obviously, it's not too long ago he scored the two most incredible goals
11:39 I saw for a long, long time against Newcastle.
11:41 It's absolutely insane.
11:43 He played a super game against Aston Villa, then was international break,
11:47 had their little bit muscle-ish here.
11:50 He said he's fine, but we read what Bielsa said,
11:53 then he had as well a very intense travel, so we decided not to start him,
11:57 but came on and had a massive impact on the game.
11:59 He's in a good moment, and we see that in training.
12:02 It's not important in the moment if he scores already or not.
12:05 For a striker, it's important that in these moments where you don't score
12:09 but play well, you understand it right,
12:13 just keep going and then everything will fall in place anyway.
12:17 Final two questions. Paddle.
12:20 Apparently you've got a game with Neil Skubsky, is that right?
12:23 I would have had if I didn't have to do the interviews today,
12:26 because he was here in the building with his brother.
12:29 But it's not possible because I had too many TV interviews,
12:34 otherwise I would have played.
12:36 But it's not fair because he's a professional tennis player,
12:39 but it's not fair because he's never played padel before.
12:42 We'll see. He lives obviously not too far from here when he's in England,
12:46 so we will find a moment where we can play, definitely.
12:49 Do you reckon you could have him in a game of padel?
12:52 No, actually not. Maybe in the very first game we will not explain the rules.
12:56 LAUGHTER
12:58 We will just smash him.
13:00 But from the second game on, no chance.
13:04 Final question. In your last Premier League press conference,
13:07 it ended with a child asking for an autograph, which you obliged.
13:11 It started with that.
13:13 Oh, there you go. I just saw it as a clip.
13:16 That was lovely. But I just wanted to get your thoughts on...
13:20 We see a lot of grounds now, kids with size, like, "Can I have your shirt?"
13:24 or "Can I have your boots?" or something.
13:27 You get kids with size looking to the players.
13:30 What were your thoughts on that?
13:32 Because for a player, they can only give the stuff away to so many people,
13:36 and it feels there's a lot of kids you end up disappointing.
13:39 Do you feel that's...?
13:40 That's a general problem. I don't know exactly how it is with boots and shirts,
13:44 nobody asked me for that in a long time, but it's all about we cannot...
13:48 So, two things. As an example, we win the game at Wolverhampton,
13:52 I'm the last out of the dressing room, the bus is waiting,
13:55 everybody wants to leave, blah, blah, blah,
13:58 because I had a press conference, all these kind of things,
14:01 the only decision you have to make, "Do I disappoint all of them,
14:05 "or nearly all of them?"
14:07 Because I can maybe go for two, three, four autographs,
14:11 and then all the others are disappointed, or it's for all of them.
14:14 That's really tricky. It stays a tricky decision,
14:17 probably until the rest of my life, I'm not sure,
14:20 as long as people ask me for autographs, so you just cannot deliver.
14:23 There are moments where we can do it, and other moments where we can't do it,
14:27 and we get judged by these things, and that was always the least problem of all,
14:33 because it was one boy wanted one autograph, and that's the perfect situation.
14:38 You want an autograph, here you have it, you want a shirt, here you have it.
14:42 The problem is the time pressure, and you have 50 more in a row.
14:46 So that's not doable, and then you disappoint one or all. That's the thing.
14:54 Do you think if it happens in the ground...
14:57 In the ground, which ground?
14:59 In the stadium, yes.
15:01 Oh, of course, but that's not possible.
15:03 They are lucky, everybody puts an autograph,
15:05 but they know there's only one shirt and two boots.
15:08 So when you win a game and the boy sees it,
15:11 he or she gets the shirt, that's not an issue.
15:16 I think that's logical, that he's not a shop of shirts,
15:21 and throws 20 into the ground. It's not possible.
15:24 So when you are lucky, maybe you might get one.
15:27 So what I'm really getting at is, do you think they should be allowed to do that?
15:31 I never thought about it, but the only thing I can say,
15:34 nobody got raised without disappointment.
15:38 There are bigger issues than being disappointed from time to time as a kid.
15:42 It's not about being disappointed, it's about how to deal with it,
15:45 and we all could help with that.
15:47 Give it a try, I have no problem with that,
15:51 but don't get too frustrated if it doesn't work out,
15:55 because that's part of development.
15:58 Well, thank you, Jürgen.
16:00 You're welcome.
16:02 Ah!
16:02 [BLANK_AUDIO]