News'Let's strike back' - Jürgen Klopp's Burnley programme notes

The Reds head in to the game against the Clarets having sustained just a second Premier League loss of the season, Klopp’s men going down 3-1 at Arsenal last weekend.

But the manager points to the response his side delivered to their previous top-flight defeat as evidence and incentive to recover strongly again.

And he also underlines the level of performance that will be required to make the first step against a Burnley team focused on battling for their own objectives.

“Today we have the kind of opportunity that we would rather not have because it means we have suffered a setback in our previous game,” writes Klopp. “But the chance to strike back is there for us so it makes sense that we should do everything possible to take it.

“I said after our defeat to Arsenal that it was not our day. This is not an excuse. The truth is that we had the opportunities to turn it into our day and we did not take them. So we know that we can be better and I am also totally confident that we will be better. The key now is not to allow that loss to become any bigger than it needs to be.

• Get your copy of the programme at Anfield today or order online here

“The positive is this is something that we have done already this season. Everyone was really disappointed after we lost against Spurs in September – and not just because of the result – but we responded in the best possible way right up to last Sunday, which means there is a lot of information about ourselves that we built up in that period which we can use now.

“Burnley will not care for our needs of course. They have their own targets to achieve and helping Liverpool get back on their feet is certainly not one of them, so we have to do it ourselves. Vincent Kompany is an outstanding young manager and he has a really talented group of players who will see this game as their opportunity. Again, we have to be prepared for this.

“For us it is about using this home game to make the first step. We do not need to look too far ahead or get caught up in the outside noise about what might or might not happen in May. We just need to focus on the challenge that is in front of us today. After this we will see.

“So I welcome Vincent, his staff and players to Anfield knowing that they will give us a proper test. It was not so long ago that we last met of course and on that occasion [a 2-0 win at Turf Moor on Boxing Day] we had to show a lot of patience because the game was not finally decided until the last minutes. I really liked how we performed on that day – especially as it was during an incredibly hectic run of games – so it would be pretty cool if we could reach those kinds of standards again in this fixture.

“Today is also our annual Foundation Community Day when we celebrate the work of our official charity, the LFC Foundation. I’ve said it before many, many times and I will say it again, I love the Foundation and everything it does, and I could not be more proud to be an ambassador.

“All of the people who work for our Foundation do an incredible job. I love them all because the things they are doing are so important. I am not an expert on the figures involved but I do know that last year, it helped more than 120,000 people. Again, this is incredible.

“Every single person who is reached means a difference has been made and most important of all that difference has been made within our own community. The Foundation is such a wonderful organisation because of this and the best thing a football club can do is to give people good moments, hope, belief and the knowledge that they are actually never alone.

“Personally, I enjoy each moment with the Foundation, it’s really great, and it is something that is definitely a win-win situation for all of us. So we will be honoured to be greeted by young flag wavers from the Foundation as we enter the pitch for today’s game and I hope you enjoy lots of other related activity at Anfield today too.”