Liverpool v Manchester United – PRESS CONFERENCE

Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp held his pre-match press conference at Melwood this morning to preview Sunday’s Premier League battle against rivals Manchester United.

You can watch the press conference in full via our members’ website. However, if you are not a member, we have published some key points from today’s press conference below that you may find of interest:

• There is nothing to say [about Jöel Matip] at this moment. I don’t know who says this. There is nothing else to say.
• So far so good (in response to his start at Liverpool) but we can always do better.
• We have really settled in. We know much more about the club. We have had a good time. The most important things are the results. We try to improve as quickly as possible. Sometimes we need to make a step back to achieve the next step.
• LVG is one of the most successful managers in the world. He has a special idea about football. You have to respect this.
• I’m a football fan so I like to be entertained. It is one of the most important things in football. You have to play football that people want to talk about.
• I don’t like 3-3 too much (Arsenal) but I think a lot of people liked it. It would not be the same game if people come in the stadium only to talk about tactics. I like football because of the moments you can enjoy. Not just a perfect goal but a perfect challenge or a header. It is our job to try and do this as often as possible.
• We have to show our best. Obviously it is important for the table as we are close together. Both teams need the points.
• I love derbies. It’s the salt in the soup.
• I had quite a few good moments with Sir Alex Ferguson. It is an honour to talk to him. For a manager it is one of the best things you can do, sit there and listen to him. But to be honest I needed ten minutes to understand him (his accent). I have a big amount of respect for what he did in his life as a manager. It’s not easy for another manager to do what he did. I don’t know what he said about me [when appointed Liverpool manager] but I think it was positive. If he’s concerned about me being Liverpool manager, well that’s good.
• I enjoyed the atmosphere against Arsenal but I think we can do better. If you can get tickets, do it again (lift the atmosphere). Let’s go!
• It’s not only a derby. You can be over-motived but you don’t have to think too much about motivation. Everyone knows the importance. Football is all about timing. The right thing at the right moment.
• 2 days to go, we will prepare, that’s what we will try to do.
• Confidence is important but to be successful you cannot decide which game you want to win and which game you will not. We have information that we are not too bad in games like this but of course we need to improve.
• Obviously I am different to LVG but I am also very different to most of you in this room. We have had a few intensive games to be sure but we both want to be successful. We both have work to do to be successful. We have different ideas of football. I won’t see our idea is better. We are different characters. I am maybe a little more lively on the sidelines which is maybe not good. It’s not about LVG and Jürgen Klopp. We have to trust our players.
• Firmino … everyone needs time to settle in. Sometimes it’s too intensive. We can’t change what we wanted but now he’s in a good moment. It was a big moment with Stoke. It’s not just the big teams. He is young enough to do much better and much more often. That’s the job we have to do, all of us. It was good vs Arsenal but he has a lot of information for himself now. How he should react in his position. When he has to do it. When he has to be in the box. When he has to push the last line back. It’s not a position he has played 500 times. It’s all about learning. We have very important tests. If there’s not enough improvement people say you didn’t work on it but that’s not true, we are always working at it.
• We took the loans back because we had problems with injuries in the squad. Before we look around the world we need to look at our own house, what we have in our own team. Let’s try again here. Not all of them will have matches in the Premier League this season but that’s not important. Let them develop together here as a team. Train with the Under 21s , train with us if possible and if they make the important steps where they need to develop then they can play. They all have the potential for this but potential is not the only decisive thing. They need to be ready. We prepare them for what we want from them. For this I think it is better that they are here.
• Henderson is okay. Ibe okay. Sakho … hmmm … okay. It’s not perfect but it’s okay. Kolo okay … he’s still in the ice bath. Lovren no. Sturridge no. No idea when he will be back.

Please note that some of the comments above are not word for word. They are notes that were taken down quickly for you.

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