Jurgen Klopp Post Match Presser After 3-0 Win at Leicester : Jürgen Klopp was delighted with the level of control his Liverpool side displayed in Monday night’s 3-0 victory away at Leicester City in the Premier League as Ghana defender Daniel Amartey watched the entire match from the substitutes bench.
The Reds racked up their seventh straight win thanks to Curtis Jones’ quickfire double in the first half at King Power Stadium and then a brilliant free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
With two fixtures left in the season, the result leaves Klopp’s men a point behind Newcastle United and Manchester United, who lie third and fourth respectively in the table but have played a game fewer.
Below is the full transcript from the post-match presser of the German trainer.
On whether that was the ‘perfect away performance :
No, but it was good – really good. Between the 55th and, I don’t know exactly, the 75th minute maybe, I would have loved to have controlled a bit better. Our positioning was not as clear. The first 15 minutes I accept 100 per cent because it was a bit of a wild game.
They really went for us and we had to figure out how we could build up the game. We had to adapt to that, the boys did that, we became more flexible and from that moment on we had five players facing the other goal and could then really pass through the lines and mix it up with [a] pass in behind, like for the first goal.
Really good examples for the different things you have to do behind the line or through the line with the second goal. The third goal [was] obviously a wonderful set-piece.
We could have scored the third one immediately after [going] 2-0 up. We had other moments and it was really good. I think the game never became the game it could have been, like a real fight with challenges everywhere and stuff like this, because we controlled it in a really convincing way.
On the form of Jones and his display tonight :
He improved a lot, so I think a lot of things came together. You should not forget he is still a young boy and one or two years ago he played super games for us as well. Then he had a difficult spell with injuries, that’s true – strange injuries, a finger in the eye and stuff like this.
It took him out for a real while, but this year was especially bad. He could watch a lot of football, he could understand the game better and it looks really like that.
I think where he improved the most is counter-pressing, it’s exceptional, and speed of play. He doesn’t keep the ball that long anymore – he does that, and has to do in moments, but he is much quicker in decision-making and stuff like this.
That he is a good finisher, we saw now a couple of times, both goals were absolutely exceptional. I am not sure they were real chances. First with the left foot, a similar goal to the last goal he scored [against Tottenham]. The second one is a super finish. He is in a good moment, really cool.
On whether Roberto Firmino will be available for Saturday’s game with Aston Villa :
I think so. So, we drive home, tomorrow will be a day off – not for him but for the others – and then Wednesday team training he will be in, that’s my information. So, now we have to see because the Saturday game is a super-difficult game for plenty of reasons.
Probably a farewell around the game for a few players and then playing for absolutely everything against [the] second or third-best team in the Premier League in the second part of the season. That’s super-challenging, so we have to see.
In the middle of everything, we have to win the game, we have to go for it. But around that, we want to show really the respect and appreciation and the love we feel for not only Bobby but Bobby as well, all the boys who will leave in the summer.
So, it will be a special day with a difficult game in between or around whatever. We have to make sure that we can do both.
On clinching at least Europa League football for next season :
Six, seven weeks ago, I didn’t believe it can happen. What we lacked that time was obviously consistency and there was only one chance for us to get in these situations – winning pretty much all the football games, and that’s what we had to do, it’s crazy. But that’s the situation we were in.
That’s good. We knew that before the game if we win we are qualified for Europa League, which is absolutely great from where we are coming from.
All the rest is not in our own hands but we know we have to win all the games until the end of the season to have a chance. I said it now a couple of times, yes probably Newcastle and United are not watching us, are confident – that’s all fine.
But we were in similar situations and you wish anyway that the opponent was just losing and you have that kind of pressure off your shoulder. Our job is to keep the pressure. But again, it’s not likely. But if not, then this is already better than we could have expected six, seven weeks ago.
On Cody Gakpo :
He’s a super, football-smart person. Not for one second I feel that he’s 24 – he’s really young. He was captain at his previous club, which is all special. Then you meet the boy and you think, ‘Ah OK, now I understand it.’ He eats football.
So like each information we give him is, for him, natural to put it on the pitch – in a position he never played before, I think, but he enjoys it a lot there and we need him there. It’s very cool. He can play obviously three, four positions in this system, which is super-helpful. But you are right, he adapted pretty quick.
On ‘winning convincingly’ to keep pressure on teams above :
We are in a good moment. We were not always convincing but we always had convincing moments in the games and we increase now. What we have to do, especially when you think about next season, we have to be more and longer in charge of the game.
Not each moment where we put the foot a little bit off the gas should lead to a no-brainer for the opponent or that Ali has to make a save. How I said, there’s so much space to improve.
I have no clue what it means to others. I can only speak for myself. Years ago, [we had] Chelsea on our neck, they were winning all the time – I think it was the year when we came fourth and had to go in the qualification.
But we had to win the last game and until the last game, we had to win, to win, to win because behind they were all winning. We made it anyway and that’s what I expect them to do as well, if I’m honest. But it keeps you on your toes and that’s our job. We have to keep them on their toes and then we will see what happens.
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