Jürgen Klopp on Blackburn win, new match protocols and Clarkson goal
Jürgen Klopp declared himself satisfied with another good workout for his team as Liverpool beat Blackburn Rovers 6-0 in a friendly at Anfield on Thursday afternoon.
As the Reds continue to prepare for a return to Premier League action on June 21, they took on the Championship side in a behind-closed-doors fixture.
Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Takumi Minamino all netted in the first half, before Joel Matip and Ki-Jana Hoever each struck to make it 5-0 to the hosts.
Then, as the contest ticked towards its conclusion, Leighton Clarkson grabbed the goal of the game – and Liverpool’s sixth – when he coolly finished after some fine footwork.
Afterwards, Klopp detailed why the experience was not only necessary from a fitness point of view, but also with regards to helping adjust to the new medical protocols that have been implemented in order to keep players and staff safe.
Read or watch our post-match interview with the boss…
On his assessment of the game and the victory…
It was not only a workout; for us, it was a really important test and we wanted the players to go for 45 minutes [but] because of a few little issues we couldn’t do that, so we didn’t have enough ‘first-team players’, I would say, so that’s why we decided to let three players go for 60 minutes. That’s OK. It looked really good, obviously. It looked really good, pretty much from the beginning. Yes, you have to get used again to playing against a deep-defending side and stuff like this. Blackburn had a playing build-up from time to time, so we could work on the high press as well. So [the] counter-press was brilliant, the football was really good, the goals were nice and it was a really good afternoon. I am really thankful that Blackburn came here and we could do that, so I wish them all the best.
On facing an opponent in a behind-closed-doors game, rather than an inter-squad match…
Yes, it’s different, of course. You need to get used to it, but I like it. After three times, it is completely OK. I thought before – and I don’t have experience in this area – that it would be really awkward, but we have to create our own atmosphere in the games. We have to be lively as well, we have to be animated and stuff like this. Being positive about the things that have happened and so on, that’s how you can create an atmosphere – and it’s what we have to do as well. Apart from that, it is Anfield. We don’t have to discuss it all the time, that it is completely different stuff without supporters. Football would not be the game [it is] if there were not supporters; we only love it because of the atmosphere and all that stuff – but this is now our situation, so we have to take that, we have to use that and that’s what we try.
On the importance of getting a feel for the new protocols that have been implemented…
Yes, everything is different. The boys now go home and they didn’t have a shower. It was raining before the game, so that would have been funny if there had been really hard rain and then you drive home in your own car and you didn’t have a shower. Our meeting was here in the boardroom. We want to have it like this [and] we can organise it differently at Anfield when we play here, but we have no clue how it’ll be at away games and we need to create as awkward-as-possible situations just to not be surprised. We want to focus completely on football and whatever happens around the games, we just take it like it is. Can we shower? Yes, good. If not, no, let’s drive home and do it there – all these kind of things – and that’s why we want to get used to it, but it’s all good so far. How I’ve said, I could not be more thankful for the organisation work at Melwood and now here. It is a really great job that everyone has done and so I am happy. We have around eight or nine days to go, good. We will need that and then we should be ready.
On how he feels the squad is shaping up ahead of the Premier League’s restart…
Yes, from the first day it looked really good. Shape is important, form and things like this are important of course, but it is attitude. It is work-rate. It is things like, ‘are you ready to go for these kind of things?’ In the first game, we don’t have to be football-wise on our highest level, but we need to show that we are ready for competition, that we are ready to defend, that we are ready to find solutions to solve problems or find solutions for difficult situations. That’s what we have to be – and I saw that today. The boys really did well and that’s how they’ve looked since we’ve been back – and how they looked before we were away, so [it’s] so far, so good.
On Clarkson’s goal…
It is just so nice. Not only the goal, but when you see the situations when he came on, I think the first pass was between the two strikers, he got it in the No.6 position where he is calm, turns and passes the ball out. We can teach the boys a lot, but they have to bring a lot. Obviously the basis for Leighton is not too bad and Jake [Cain] did really well, as well. All of the boys. For Sepp [Van den Berg] it is always hard for centre-halves. We have four, so sitting outside [but] he looks really promising in training sessions. Ki-Jana, centre-half and right-back and looks really good. You see them – when Harvey [Elliott], Curtis [Jones] and Neco [Williams] played, it looked good as well. It’s coming, it’s nice and nice they are here and training with us. The way we play helps the players to feel safe; everybody is defending and you should never feel alone in a big area where you have no chance to sort the situation. That’s what I really like and for the boys it was really good. Yasser [Larouci], too, he looked really good – so that was good and very important for us.