Jurgen Klopp ready to unleash fearsome attacking quartet in Champions League

25 September 2017 21:55

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has no qualms about unleashing his fearsome attacking quartet now all are at his disposal.

With Sadio Mane free from domestic suspension and Philippe Coutinho match fit after a back injury forced him to miss the start of the season the Reds boss can now combine them with six-goal Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino in a fearsome front four from the off.

The difficulty he may have is fitting them all in as Coutinho has mainly operated wide on the left, which is now Mane’s domain with Salah on the other flank, but the Brazil international can also operate from a slightly deeper role.

That would leave midfield a little light in terms of work-rate perhaps and Klopp admits he has to work out whether he can knit them altogether.

“Now I am excited. We have all of the boys here. We trained this morning, only a little bit, and hopefully we can train tomorrow,” he said on his arrival in Russia for Tuesday’s Champions League Group E clash with Spartak Moscow.

“It is good to have them all, it is cool. It feels good, but that doesn’t mean anything. I don’t believe in names. I believe in performances. They all have to fit together and that is what we have to try. It should be possible of course.

“The balance has to be right. We are an offensive-orientated team, but this is about Champions League football. We need results.

“In the right moments, you need to be able to do the right things. It is not about being spectacular, it is about being good, and being clinical and having perfect timing and perfect protection.

“We cannot just bring all the artists, but if it fits together we will do it.”

Klopp arrived in Russia looking forward to his first visit to Moscow but his first evening in the capital left him agitated and frustrated.

The Reds boss labelled his pre-match press conference at a hotel five minutes’ drive from where the team landed at Sheremetyevo Airport a “waste of time” and cut short his appearance after a bizarre line of questioning.

His mood was not helped by the constant clicking of photographers’ cameras and the Russian translator who then began translating his answers before he had finished them.

His patience almost snapped when he was asked whether he was in love with any of his players, a reference to Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino saying he loved striker Harry Kane.

“I am really impressed that we’re in a Champions League press conference and we’re talking about things like this,” he said.

“I really don’t understand the business any more.”

Jurgen Klopp became agitated during his press conference
Jurgen Klopp became agitated during his press conference (Ivan Sekretarev/AP/PA)

When the translator began to recount his answer in Russian Klopp stopped her mid-sentence, saying: “It’s not important.

“The question and my answer were not important for Russia it was just an English thing. Pochettino loves Kane and who do I love, that’s the question. A waste of time.”

With that he walked out and headed off to the team hotel.

Source: By PA Sport Staff