Press conferenceJürgen Klopp on Forest clash, Nunez role, Salah records and more

The manager spoke to the media at the AXA Training Centre on Friday afternoon, providing an update on the fitness of Roberto Firmino and assessing Trent Alexander-Arnold’s position.

See a summary of more subjects Klopp touched on during the chat with reporters below…

On which Liverpool he expects this weekend after the 6-1 win at Leeds United…

A good one. I understand 100 per cent where you are coming from; yes, that’s strange that with the very average season we played so far in general and having a couple of the highest results in this club’s history, which is absolutely strange. I said after the Leeds game that I thought that game was the best we played this season. I know a lot of people probably thought Leeds was not really up to it, stuff like this, but I was sad as well that I got asked a question after the game how it’s possible to play the two halves [that] were that different. I didn’t see that, to be honest. I know it was not as spectacular in the first half but it was preparing, it was calm, it was convinced and convincing. It was good. Against a deep-defending side, especially in our situation, you cannot create just second after second after second, you need to work for your moments and that’s what we did in the first half and were anyway up 2-0, which is absolutely a fantastic result for half-time.

Second half, yes, we stepped up but that’s how it is. It was for Leeds then really difficult to deal with us and the goals we scored were obviously absolutely exceptional. It was a very stable performance, which is very important and that’s what we have to build on. I cannot sit here now and guarantee any kind of results or whatever; I said it before, weeks or months ago, we have to guarantee performance levels and that’s definitely what we have to do now. And knowing that in this game again… we had more shots, more finishes but not on target that many, so close, next to the post or whatever, these kinds of things which I consider as chances as well – but afterwards it looks like we had seven chances and scored six times. That was not the case. But we have to be ready for not scoring early, we have to be ready for all the difficulties which you can face in a football game and then overcome it and stick to the plan and stick to the way we want to play. And that was what I liked most in that game – that I saw our plan the whole game. And that’s what we have to do again.

On Forest…

We had our analysis meeting obviously already, we prepared everything. It’s a rather pragmatic style now: clear, long balls, early set-pieces taking them there. I know Steve [Cooper] has the ability as a coach and a manager to play different ways, but probably the confidence is not on the highest level after the recent run of results and so, becoming more pragmatic makes absolute sense. And that’s the team that we have to expect. But it all starts with winning challenges – that’s what everybody can do, and that’s what they will try to do definitely. And then they have speed up front, technique in midfield, experience in the last line. So there’s everything there actually. I can’t explain 100 per cent why it didn’t work out that well now. They had a super spell early, late last year, early this year and then from a moment on it didn’t work out for them anymore as well. But not all performances were not worth a point or three points, sometimes you have to be lucky. But the quality they have is clear and if we wouldn’t respect that quality – which we do definitely – we would already be on the wrong side because up front with Gibbs-White, Johnson and Taiwo [Awoniyi] they all can cause you massive problems. And obviously it’s a big squad, they have much more options as well. We will see who Steve will line up but we expect a really tough game.

On Salah being a goal away from equalling Robbie Fowler as Liverpool’s sixth-highest scorer of all time…

I worked together with him for so long and was always stood more or less next to him when he broke the next record. But last week when I heard he had the most left-footed goals in Premier League history, I have to say, that’s insane. When you see the names below, Fowler, Van Persie, Giggs, stuff like this, Premier League greats, absolutely. That’s massive. How it always is in life, as long as you are together you appreciate some things maybe not as much as you should. We do. Saying that, surpassing Robbie in another stat, I know that Mo likes these kind of things and will fill his tank definitely for the game, but I don’t know the numbers about his assists but that’s pretty good as well, so he doesn’t forget it’s important or really nice to break a record but much more important that we win the game and for that you sometimes rather pass the ball than shoot yourself.

On Nunez’s role in the front three...

Darwin is a player with a different skillset to all our other players. That’s good. He’s a real handful, he’s a machine and he’s scored already a decent number of goals, so that’s all fine. But yes, of course, he’s still adapting. His English is still not great, if not existing at all, we are working on that massively. So, it’s not helpful to go through a difficult debut season for the whole team, which makes it [difficult] then for a striker... how can a striker shine when the whole team is struggling? That’s not possible. But he had super moments for us but was injured in some moments and suspended in other moments. That’s not helpful but it’s no problem at all. This is a long-term project. I understand the team wants to play desperately from the beginning and stuff like this. That’s all fine but we have to find a way that works really for us again. Then we have to fit in the players we really can use the specific strengths as well. I’m completely fine with the situation. But I understand that Darwin is not always fine, but it’s not that he smiles in my face when he realises he will not start, it’s not like this; ‘Oh, thank you, boss.’ That’s not like that, but it’s absolutely fine and that’s how we have to deal with the situation. When you have five [or] six players available up front I have to make decisions – that’s good. That’s how it should be and then we will see. The boys, the door is miles open, but the more sessions we have, the more sessions you have to show up. He came on and was exceptional [against Leeds]. Not only the goal he scored, before that as well... it was exactly the right way. Everybody who came on was on fire and that’s what we need. And then how I said, we have now five games in two weeks and Darwin will start games definitely.

On where he sees Nunez’s position in the long term...

He’s a centre-forward who plays on the left when he plays on the left. So, that’s how it is. We need definitely a specific set-up that he can play and defend in the centre. That’s how it is. Playing [in] the centre is not a problem, there’s a machine, but then we have to make sure we really understand as a team. But again, we were not stable for a long spell in the season. That’s how it is. Then you have all of a sudden on top of all the problems we had, you have to adapt to different defending [and] striker up front as well. That’s how it is. If football would be that easy you would just put the 11 players with the most potential together on the pitch and then hope that it works out. Then you don’t need me or other managers.

So, it’s really about fine-tuning and that’s what we are still doing obviously. We don’t know where this season will end up but after this season there is another season. That’s already in my mind as well, we have to build on what we do now and what we learn now. We learned a lot which we didn’t want to learn and now we have maybe the opportunity to learn a few things we really can use. That’s how I see it. That means everything is fine. He can play both positions 100 per cent and both positions really well and did that for us already. I am completely fine. He has to learn English, that’s how it is, we can translate everything, but in training sessions we cannot have four languages. It’s football language and that will help him massively. That’s it.

On Harvey Elliott’s recent absence from the team...

He’s training exceptionally. Fabio Carvalho is training exceptionally, to be honest. All the boys [are]. That’s the hardest part, [we] never had it the whole season and now we have it and all of a sudden I leave five players at home and they are all of a sudden not even in your squad. Crazy! Harvey is very, very close; absolutely close to starting again. But we have to say for the situation in which he is now, training on an absolute super level and not being involved, how he deals with it, I have to say, that’s kind of a role model. Not that he is happy with the situation, but he never gives up. It’s unbelievable. I don’t think it was probably his best skill before he arrived here because he was super, super-talented, he still is, but the character he shows here is exceptional.