Q&AJürgen Klopp press conference: The future of Liverpool's squad, Chelsea analysis and youth development

Liverpool’s manager faced the media at the AXA Training Centre ahead of his team’s Premier League meeting with Chelsea at Anfield on Wednesday night.

Klopp was asked about the make-up of the Reds’ squad following his departure in the summer, how Chelsea have progressed under Mauricio Pochettino throughout the season and the development of Liverpool’s young players.

See what he had to say below.

On players’ contracts and whether there is any danger this team could break up...

No. I don’t think [so]. It’s completely normal. That was always clear when we spoke about [him leaving] I said what I had to say. Then it was always clear that the outside world will not give you a second to process it [or] to think about it. It’s just the next thing, ‘What are you doing?’ So, a week ago, or whenever, nobody knew about my decision it was [the case that] he [Virgil van Dijk] had 18 months on the contract [and] nobody asked. So, give us a break... of course it’s about if I’m here we need to create a perspective and all these kinds of things and what’s happening next and stuff like this. That’s completely normal. Nobody has to worry. And, by the way, that’s why I say this team, the majority of everything, is exactly like it is. But if you want to find somebody who is not safe now and has a contract [until] 2025 you will find it. I knew that will happen because you can’t wait with these kind of questions.

Virgil didn’t go out and say, ‘By the way what I want to say...’ so it’s always about the questions. We always need to answer and these kind of things. Write what you want, this club is stable 100 per cent. Everything will be fine, I’m 100 per cent sure. The rest, we have to get through this, we have to get through your questions. We have to give some answers and that’s how it is. Our people, I would recommend to stay calm in this department, massively.

On the topic being covered because supporters may have concerns for the future...

Very often the fans’ concerns are not as big as the media might think. You underestimate the IQ of our supporters I think. It’s just they know that these kind of things come up. It’s just completely normal, there’s nothing to worry about in this moment in time. We are in this season and all these talks could be [a] part of a possible destruction about this season. In all seasons [it’s] the same, if you know the manager for the next season or not. It’s always the same. In the moment, ‘What do you make of that?’ The boys have to think about things. That’s human, right? It’s what you have to do, it’s what you should do just before you make a decision about whatever you think and that’s completely normal.

On whether he will be involved in player contract renewal negotiations before he leaves the club…

There is no need to have an impact, it is completely normal. It was a decision. The club knew about my departure already for a while so we use the time now, tie the players down [and] then I say, ‘By the way, I’m not here anymore’ and they say, ‘Nobody told us that’? You cannot work like this, really, especially not with the relationship we have. There is enough time to do everything. These players love to be here, don’t forget that. It’s not that they have one foot out. That they want to know a little bit about perspective, that is there and it will happen. It will happen especially behind the scenes and the only annoying part is you [the media] because everything is fine, it’s just that we have to constantly answer questions: ‘What is going on there? Why don’t they do that?’ Because things, especially important things, need time. So, it’s all fine, don’t worry. You [the media] can worry, but for you at home, don’t worry and it’s fine. The boys love this place, I know that for a fact and the rest, what will happen we will see.

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On what difference he has seen in Chelsea now compared to the start of the season...

Of course, they play really good stuff. It’s a really good team. [They have] an outstanding manager obviously and nobody was ever [in] doubt about that. So, I’m not 100 per cent sure, but I think it’s a team in form points-wise [and] won the majority of their games recently. We played them on the first matchday, obviously there we were not great that day and they were pretty good and we got a draw, which was fine for us that day. We were not over the moon with our performance but the point was alright. So, we have to do better but we are different as well since then and that’s the good news.

On what is specifically different in Chelsea’s approach and the way they play generally...

Obviously Chelsea have not only an incredible amount of players, [which] everybody knows, but they have an incredible amount of injuries as well. The players who are not available for them and stuff like this makes life really uncomfortable for each team and for each manager. I think now they have their core group together. They have the midfield they want to play. They have probably the last line besides Reece James. Up front they have the player on the pitch they want to play. So, that’s Chelsea now. For a long time they couldn’t line up like that and that’s obviously very different. That’s why if you go through the team it’s just a really, really good football team... you cannot see that in the table yet but [in the] last few weeks they made big steps in the table as well. It’s not important where you stand in the moment in the table, it’s where you go from there. I expect them to make big steps but actually I want them to start after our game.

On how the fact several senior players are available again after injury will affect the development of the younger members of his squad…

A 19-year-old boy doesn’t need week in and week out Premier League games to develop. So, he developed to the level he is now without playing Premier League before so it’s just about that, we don’t have to bring a rush in now. It’s just a wonderful sign, wonderful for James [McConnell] as an example, wonderful for his family. I think he told me at first he had nine tickets for the game then afterwards he said 20 people – I don’t know how he brought them in! So, it’s just wonderful. That he’s ready to do it, I knew it before. He could have come on in the games before but then it was slightly different positions so Bobby [Clark] came on, 18 years old.

So, for these boys, everything that happened this season so far is absolutely outstanding and top, top, top and gives them exactly the right information that they have to improve still and have obviously the most time to do so, it’s absolutely fine. But that the so-called ‘bigger guns’ are coming back doesn’t have any influence on their development. If they only could develop if they play 20 Premier League games in a row, they would not be the talent they are, so it’s all fine.

On whether Conor Bradley’s journey of enjoying a successful loan spell and then getting into Liverpool’s side can offer hope to the likes of Calvin Ramsay…

Yeah, of course, but we cannot compare, a loan spell for one worked out [but] for the other one not. So now, for example, yesterday I had Owen Beck in my office and I’m so happy [Beck rejoined Dundee on loan on Tuesday]… Owen as well, like Calvin, had previously a difficult loan spell. He didn’t play in Portugal, came back here and was at Bolton as well [as Bradley] and didn’t play there either, so we were all like, ‘How can that happen?’ because we really think highly of him. So, he goes to Scotland, is playing there and it gave him a massive boost. He arrived here and looked like a man, really, left-back, really ready to go. And now, the other boys are coming back we have the opportunity to give him that time [on loan] again, it makes sense.

Calvin, the problem is that Calvin was too often injured. It’s a horrible run of bad luck, I would say, started when he arrived here [and] had this back problem, out for half a year, came back, knee problem, gone on loan, another problem. So, that has to stop at one point and then everybody can see how good Calvin can be but now he needs consistent training, for the body, and then of course playing time as well. So, I had to get used to that over the years, to these loan things, and they didn’t work out always but in a lot of moments it worked out really well and especially Conor, you’re right, is a really good example that it helped massively – even when we knew before he went on loan that Conor would end up in our first team.