Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has refused to speculate on the potential seriousness of Daniel Sturridge’s latest set-back after it was revealed the striker was ruled out of Thursday night’s game against Bordeaux with a foot injury.
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In fact, during his time in the North West, Sturridge has managed just 70 appearances; he has missed 68 games through injury. “If it can be a few moments or more (he plays), we will see in the game”. When I came here, people said ‘why do you take your best squad to Kazan?’ I’m very happy, the team is very happy to qualify, the club is very happy to qualify, so you can be very happy we’ve qualified.
Bordeaux coach Willy Sagnol knows his side are not the favourites either in the match or to progress from Group B but he remains upbeat ahead of the tie.
“He has now trained seven or eight times in a row – the longest period since I’ve been here – and, of course, that will help him”.
Klopp was pleased with the way his team managed to grind out a win.
“What we have to develop in the first case is our performance”.
“We’ve done it at Chelsea, we had a great result against Arsenal and also against Tottenham”.
“After the half-time score, Bordeaux had to go with a little bit more risk and it was more hard for us because we lost a little bit of the control in the game. But we know what we have to do [against Bordeaux]”.
“We have to try to bring in a situation where he is more robust”, added Klopp, who was named Liverpool boss on 8 October. “It makes it much easier to play and gives you the confidence that, even if you make a mistake, afterwards he will talk to you and explain to you the wrong things and the good things”.
Mignolet was penalised for holding onto the ball for 21 seconds – well over the six second limit – and Bordeaux’s Henri Saivet fired in the game’s opening goal from the resulting indirect free-kick.
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“I would say it has been ups and downs but the most important thing is the present”, he said.
