Emre: Klopp kept us in a positive frame of mind
Jürgen Klopp's positive approach helped Liverpool's players to retain the self-belief needed to emerge from their mid-season slump, Emre Can has revealed.
The Reds earned just their second victory of 2017 on Saturday as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Anfield thanks to a first-half Sadio Mane brace.
Going into the meeting with Spurs, Klopp's men had won just one of their last 10 games - a run of form that contrasted sharply with the 17 victories in 23 outings that kicked off the season.
Can admits he and his teammates did not expect to endure such a problematic period after their strong start, but credited the manager for his role in getting things back on track.
“He is a very positive guy and has been encouraging us and trying to help us have a positive frame of mind so that everybody believes and thinks positively again,” he said.
“We have had a lot of meetings and he tries to motivate us because he also knows that we cannot forget the good times we have had this season.
“We are fifth in the league – one points off fourth – which is not too bad in a strong league.
“We know how quickly things can turn around in football. We have to stay together, be one team and look forward.
“Of course, after we had so many good times in the first half of the season, nobody thought that we would have a spell [like we had]. I think we can learn a lot from the past month and come back stronger.
“[The target has] always been to finish in the top four of the Premier League as we want to play in the Champions League next year. When you play for Liverpool, playing in the Champions League is always the target.”
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Liverpool's poor run saw the players and manager alike subjected to harsh criticism, which Can says it can be difficult to completely block out.
But the midfielder believes a good team spirit is key to staying strong in moments when doubt might set in.
“It’s not easy to ignore what people are saying because you naturally tend to read the newspapers and speak to friends and a lot of people in the city," he added.
“Of course they want to talk about football. It’s not easy to ignore, but we have to try and do that because it’s the best way to focus on the games ahead.
“The most important thing is we have to stick together. When we have good performances we stick together and we must do the same when we have bad performances.”