Chelsea vs Liverpool: Top 5 things Jurgen Klopp said in the press conference before the match

The stage is set for the clash of the two top Premier League title contenders, Liverpool and Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge tonight.

It is not just a clash of some of the best players in the world right now, in the likes of Salah, Van Dijk and Alisson versus Hazard, Willian and Jorginho, but also between two tactical lords of the game - Jurgen Klopp and Maurizio Sarri.

It's the second meeting of the side in 4 days, as the sides went head to head in the Carabao Cup this midweek where Eden Hazard's wondergoal in the 86th minute eliminated Liverpool.

The press conferences were done with, with each of the managers highlighting their strategies, team news and talking about the opposition. In this article, we focus on the top 5 things Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp had to say before the Chelsea v Liverpool game tonight.

Without further ado, let's dive in:

#5 On losing to Chelsea in the Carabao Cup

Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Third Round

The Liverpool boss was not very happy about the loss 4 days ago which resulted in the elimination of the Reds from the League Cup in just the 3rd round of the competition.

“It’s not cool. It’s not what we want. We shouldn’t be surprised when things like that happen against a really strong side when you don’t use your chances. It always gives a chance to the other team."

“The Chelsea game was a very interesting game. We needed time to adapt without the ball. It felt like things weren’t comfortable. It was because of little, little details. It was a big challenge for the boys."

“I was happy with how we adapted in the end. But still we lost. It’s not a problem, that can happen. The result is the most important thing, but performance is also important especially for analysis. It was interesting to see how we adapted in such a short time.”

Klopp will hope Liverpool adapt quickly enough at the Stamford Bridge tonight too, so that they can put in a strong performance against a good side.

#4 The Van Dijk Injury Situation

Liverpool FC v Southampton FC - Premier League

Liverpool's highly rated defender Virgil Van Dijk limped off against Southampton last week, and is doubtful for the clash against Chelsea. This is what the Liverpool boss had to say about this situation,

“Virgil is a world-class player and when you miss a world class player it’s not cool. Dejan Lovren played his first game in 10 weeks and most of that time he couldn’t train."

“If Virgil is fit, he plays. If not, then obviously we have options. We can play without Virgil, thank God. But I prefer if we can. The last game he wasn’t available, now we will see for tomorrow.”

It would have a tremendous impact on the game if Van Dijk is not deemed fit before the whistle. The Dutchman is probably the best defender in the league right now.

#3 On his preparation for the game

Jurgen Klopp has said that their defeat midweek to Chelsea has been the best possible preparation they could get for the match this weekend. He further added,

“It will be tough and intense for both sides. It’s a big one. It already sounds good, and we have to make sure it is good. Both teams know it won’t be an easy game."

“The best preparation for Saturday’s game is Wednesday’s game. There will be different players but we will learn from the game. We try to use the information from [Wednesday] to be better on Saturday. Striking back is a nice opportunity.”

Klopp is hoping Liverpool will bounce back with a win against Chelsea to maintain their 100% record in the Premier League.

#2 On Eden Hazard and his wonder goal

Jurgen Klopp felt Liverpool could have stopped Eden Hazard's wonder goal against them despite accepting the fact that the Belgian is one of the best around.

“I know exactly how good he is. He’s a special player and he enjoys these one vs one situations. I didn’t need that game to find out about that. If we had one 100% challenge out of the four or five we had, he wouldn’t have been able to do what he did.”

“Stop passes to him? Good idea? Being close? Good idea, but he likes players being close sometimes. We all know we could have stopped that goal but he used that situation. No player is not defendable. We have to close the right spaces.”

There is no doubt Eden Hazard will be the top player to watch in tonight's game as the Belgian has had the best possible start to the season, following a successful World Cup campaign in Russia.

#1 On Chelsea's 'F1 Car' Attack

Leicester City v Chelsea - The Emirates FA Cup Quarter Final

Jurgen Klopp called Chelsea's formidable attack an F1 car, and presented his views on stopping them tonight,

“How do we defend Jorginho? We have Hazard and him. And Willian. And Kovacic running like a Formula One car. And Kante.

“They’re all important [players for Chelsea], so let’s try to be at 100%. When we play football we cause teams problems.”

That was all from Jurgen Klopp's press conference before the game. Here's hoping for a cracking contest when Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool go up against Maurizio Sarri's Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge tonight.

Edited by Arvind Sriram