Round-upJürgen Klopp's pre-Sheffield United press conference: 'We have to focus on ourselves'

The Reds travel to Bramall Lane for a 7.30pm GMT kick-off looking to successfully follow up last weekend’s dramatic 4-3 victory over Fulham at Anfield.

Liverpool will meet a Blades side under new management after the reappointment of former boss Chris Wilder in the build-up to the contest.

Klopp previewed the fixture by attending a press conference at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday – read on for a summary of what he had to say…

On Wilder’s return and Sheffield United’s approach to the game...

How can I know that? I obviously remember the way Sheffield United played under Chris Wilder. Overlapping wing-backs, or underlapping wing-backs, stuff like this. That’s one part of it. He probably now has a press conference as well, I’m not sure, training after that, maybe another session tomorrow morning. First thing is we can probably bin our analysis! I was sitting yesterday in the office and somebody told me it might happen... but I watched it anyway. We will see. We have to focus on ourselves. I don’t think he will now change too much. What can he change in that short period?

We don’t have to think too much about it. We really should just prepare for a football game. We play teams with five at the back, 5-3-2 and 5-4-1, quite frequently, to be honest. We have to make sure we give them a proper job to think about. I understand it’s always like that – a new manager coming in and now we start getting confused; we shouldn’t. Actually, we can play in different ways and as much I am happy for Chris that he’s back in a job there at his club, if he thinks about us then it must be, ‘Oh my God, they come from everywhere.’ That’s pretty much the thing, but the game will be played tomorrow, not today in the press conference.

On whether it’s too early to see the Fulham win as ‘significant’...

We are two points behind Arsenal, by the way. What is that? It’s decided? Yes, of course our late winner was very important for everything, absolutely everything. That’s true. [It’s] nothing to do with a title-winning season, but if you can do that every week it’s pretty likely you would win the league, we just didn’t already. We missed a few opportunities to do that. Yeah, a lot of things you can take from the game and what we have to take into tomorrow and the spirit and stuff like this is really helpful.

OK, the beginning was really good [against Fulham] and then after we were 3-2 down was really good. These were the two great moments and in between we could’ve done better. It was a long spell. I don’t think a second about where we could end up. [It’s] what I said before. We have to be there, where we are now, until April. If we are still there then we can talk about whatever is possible now, but I have no clue where we will be in April, to be honest. [It’s] the toughest period of football, we played without a few players in the [Fulham] game already, [but] we lost Joel [Matip] so that’s so tough. It’s so tough what is coming up now. It’s absolutely nothing to think about [and] think ahead of the next game. There’s no chance. So, we focus on Sheffield United, go for it, play the best possible game and keep going.

On the encouragement of having a strong bench that can make an impact...

We start with three strikers and we have one on the bench. I wouldn’t say that’s the strongest bench in the world, but the player who can come on is a really good one – that’s true. Same with Endo, but we had other players; Curtis out, yes, in the midfield there still are some opportunities, [the] last line was comfortable until last Sunday. So, that’s all true. To be successful you need a strong squad. There’s no shadow of a doubt that you need that – that’s clear and now it’s not about thinking about what you have available.

I [see] who we have available and from there we go and try to use them all and try to figure out who and when because it’s tomorrow night, then it’s Saturday 12.30pm and then it’s Thursday; OK, that’s a bit of a longer break, but then from that moment on we go again until the New Year. It’s just tough. But you need a strong bench to be successful and yes, the players were the whole season through from the bench very, very impactful. That speaks for the quality of the players.

On the goals against Fulham coming away from the front three attackers...

Some of the goals came from the front three. I’m pretty sure it was Dom who got fouled for the Trent free-kick. The second goal, yeah, passing between and we win the ball back, Macca wins the ball back and we shoot from there. And the third goal is super-important because that was a chip from Ibou, then a Darwin header to Mo, and Mo with the opportunity to score his 200th goal keeps the ball and puts it back to Wataru and he shoots, so that’s super-impactful from the two strikers. The other goal is then Cody shooting, saved, Darwin crosses the ball, Kostas header and then Trent is there. That’s how football is.

I can see already that we probably tried to shoot now from 40 yards until we realise that’s a bit far. That’s normal. We had incredible goals in that game; absolutely incredible. Yes, it’s a nice thing to have as it’s a good thing to have – great set-pieces [is] what we will need, then scoring from distance [is] what we will need, scoring in the six-yard box [is] what we will need too. All these kind of goals, they have to come from everywhere otherwise we will not be unpredictable, or we will be too predictable, and that’s really important that we are not. The period we talk about there is so many games, but for all the teams there are so many games, so it’s who gets out of that in the best possible way. In this moment nothing speaks against that we could be that, we just have to do it.

On Trent Alexander-Arnold’s evolving role and the option of becoming a full-time midfielder…

It’s just about us, what do we have available? Is Joey there? Is Conor there? If they both are there, does one of them have to play left-back? Because Kosti cannot play all the games. Then you have to see. Yes, Trent can play midfield, we always knew that. But Trent can play the role we gave him now very well as well, so that’s how it is. We will see. If you want to be good he has to be influential from all different areas because it just makes us better. If he plays a good game – which he obviously did in the last game – then that’s it pretty much.

We play him where we think it’s best for him. And then people say he has to play there, he has to play there. He became one of the most successful players in the recent history of Liverpool FC playing at right-back. He became a Premier League player as a right-back. He can play more inside definitely. How I said, he will play where it’s best for us, that’s just how it is. And I’m not stubborn and don’t want to play him in midfield or whatever, not at all. But I’m not part of the [external] discussion; you can discuss it as much as you want but it will not have any influence. We still have to make decisions [about] what’s best for the team – and Trent sees it, by the way, exactly the same way. He wants to play. And from my point of view he has to be influential and we have to make sure we help him with the positioning. That’s it.

On whether Sheffield United will be more dangerous than perceived, because of their need for points…

Yeah, of course, that’s how it is. Last week they would have said the same, because it was then matchday [14]. It’s the same, yes. I understand that. There will be a lot of passion now, Chris Wilder in the dugout and I’m pretty sure a great reception for him, all these kind of things. But in the end we have to play a football game, that’s it. Will the atmosphere be great? Yes, as long as we let it happen.

The only way you can calm down an atmosphere is always with your own football, otherwise you play [and it’s] just coming from everywhere pretty much. So we have to play a really good game, but that’s fair. Imagine we wouldn’t have to play a good game to win against Sheffield United – it’s the Premier League, it’s not possible. They will be really going for it, I’m 100 per cent sure. And we will as well, I’m 100 per cent sure about that. That’s the only thing I can have real influence in, the rest we will see. But the better we play, the more difficult it will be for Sheffield, and that’s the job we have to do.

On where Mohamed Salah ranks among the great players he has coached…

Right up there. That’s 100 per cent. A player with his numbers I’m not sure I will ever coach again. It’s just the way it is. His whole development from the first talks we had to the talks we have now, as a man, is an incredible and very impressive development and growth – and as a player as well. Absolutely exceptional player, all-time great. No shadow of a doubt. I was blessed to have a few good ones, to be honest, but he is right up there and the numbers are super-special.

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