Programme notes'You always have a chance to turn a not-so-good situation into a really good one'

The Reds host reigning champions Manchester City at Anfield in the Premier League this afternoon – a familiar opponent for Klopp's side, having consistently battled them for numerous honours in recent seasons.

Writing in his column in the matchday programme, the boss was keen to remain upbeat about the possibilities that are still available in 2022-23 despite a testing start for his squad.

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Klopp said: "This will not be the first time that we have met City this season as we played against them in the FA Community Shield and that was another reminder of their quality – not that we needed it, of course.

"After that game, some pretty ridiculous questions were being asked about Pep, about his team and about Erling Haaland. Not by us, by the way. We knew.

"We knew how well we had had to play to beat them and we knew how good they were. So nothing they have done since then has surprised us in any way. They are a top team with an incredible manager and unbelievable players so it doesn't take a lot of intelligence to work out that they will play brilliant football and get good results.

"For us, it has been different of course. Our path has been more difficult and this has meant the questions are being asked about us instead. This is OK. It is part of football and we have to deal with that.

"We might not like some of the questions and we might also think that some of them are unfair but the beauty of this team is that, individually and collectively, we have the potential to put things right so that the questions will stop.

"This is what I meant when I talked about turning doubters into believers all those years ago – in football you always have a chance to turn a not-so-good situation into a really good one. When this happens, everything makes more sense and everything feels better.

"But the starting point has to be working together, believing in one another and giving absolutely everything we have whether we are on the pitch, in the dugout or in the stands. This is especially true of this game.

"We know what we have to do, so it is up to us to do it. Let's enjoy the game the best way we can by performing the best way we can."

• Order your Liverpool v Man City matchday programme here