Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was in a bullish mood ahead of the Reds’ blockbuster clash against Manchester United in the UEFA Europa League tonight. The German manager expects an intimidating atmosphere at Old Trafford, but maintains that he is unperturbed by it, nothing that he’d come a day ahead to ‘breathe’ in the Theatre of Dreams.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Klopp was rather positive, saying “I am not worried. It is football, the ball is round, anything can happen and that is how it is. But I am not scared or afraid. We have the chance and we made the best thing we could do in the first game. We made our position a little bit better. It is not perfect, it is not 5-0 or 6-0, it is not a holiday tomorrow.”
Louis van Gaal’s calls for Old Trafford to create a daunting atmosphere has Klopp ready with a solution, saying “When all the people hate you it is no problem, it is loud and I don’t understand what the crowd is singing so it is pretty easy for me. We will decide how good the atmosphere is with the performance. How many Liverpool fans? Three thousand? That is enough.”
Liverpool arrived early to acclimatize
In contrast to Louis van Gaal, who’d taken his team to Liverpool on the day of the match, Klopp has arrived a day early, although the German noted this was normal for him, saying “We wanted the whole package. I always enjoyed it when I played with my former clubs in European tournaments to breathe the stadium air where you play the next night. I like to imagine what will happen.”
Klopp is also rather confident about his plans, revealing that he know exactly what is needed to go through, saying “I am an optimistic guy. Before a game I always have the best feelings, the problem is I have lost a few games after. Tomorrow is the third time we play against Manchester United [during his reign] and we were always in the games so that is an important sign for us.”
“The world doesn’t change overnight but it is absolutely clear there is a chance for Manchester United, 100%, but we know that we know how to play them. That’s the truth. It doesn’t mean it will be easy for us. We have to work really hard and be really concentrated, brave and aggressive in a legal way. We will be prepared.”
With a two-goal lead going into the second leg, Liverpool and Klopp will walk out onto the Old Trafford pitch in quiet confidence & rightly so.
