Jurgen Klopp is set to stick with Adam Bodgan instead of Simon Mignolet for Liverpool’s Capital One Cup clash with Southampton, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Klopp said: “Simon Mignolet is one of the smartest keepers I’ve had”.
“I’m sorry to kill your stories about German goalkeepers, Stoke goalkeepers”.
Liverpool’s No 1, Simon Mignolet, who is a year Bogdan’s junior, kept 13 Premier League clean sheets last season, and has been in goal for all 14 league games this term, with five shutouts to his name.
The Reds manager has been linked with a move for a number of Bundesliga shot stoppers in recent weeks, including Bayer Leverkusen’s Bernd Leno and Mainz’s youngster Loris Karius. Ex-players and pundits alike have been highly critical of the Belgian in the past and have regularly predicated that he’d be replaced in the near future – a theory that Klopp doesn’t seem to be buying into. He’s still young enough to develop.
“He was not in the easiest situation before I came here, but I have no reason to criticise him. He’s a good football player”, enthused the Reds boss.
“Everybody is watching for a second Manuel Neuer or something like this. The goalkeeper situation until now is a comfortable one and I hope it stays like this, of course”.
Klopp however does not know whether Mignolet will play tomorrow or whether Liverpool will continue playing Adam Bogdan for League Cup matches.
“Good news (on Henderson and Sturridge)”.
“I think they’re pretty hot on this game because they lost their last two games, they want to strike back”, he added.
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“At Liverpool the door has always to be open it has to be like this”. We are prepared to be in a good situation, the squad is in a good run at this moment. “We can’t ignore that there could be extra-time; 120 minutes would be too much [for Henderson and Sturridge]”, Klopp said.
