Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool can’t afford to consider the mouthwatering prospect of a Wembley showdown with Everton as they prepare to lock horns with Stoke City in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup at Anfield.
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“It’s really frustrating.” he said in a press conference to preview Tuesday evening’s clash.
“Now I have to be careful”. “We’ll have to see in the next 24 hours what’s up with Kolo Toure and Mamadou Sakho because Steven Caulker can’t play”.
“Now it’s becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy”.
It was good but three weeks are three weeks, we have to see. ‘Second ball – Oh no!!’.
“We know about this problem”. He is a really tough boy, he is always available, but I think today it will not work for training. “It’s obvious we’ve not done too well, but we are a football team and always working on our weaknesses, as we are in this short period between [games]”, he continued. We spoke about it intensively.
“We had good talks together – it’s not the first one but hopefully the last one”. It’s often about ourselves.
“First of all we have to beat Stoke”.
“It is not too late to learn, but now it is time to learn and show we have learned”.
Klopp was asked if he’s settle for a dour 1-0 win over Stoke and added: Of course.
With a 1-0 advantage they don’t need to go for broke in the second leg and instead can invite Stoke on to them and try to hit them on the break.
Instead, he’s inherited a fanbase still lamenting the club’s dispiriting malfunction since losing the majesty of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge’s strike partnership, suspicious if those recruited will ever prove good enough and fearful that every set-piece will result in flapping hands or hapless defending.
He doesn’t seem a naturally brilliant finisher, but we can’t argue with two braces in three games, especially as he’s creating chances for those around him as well.
“It could have been a little bit more clear”. Reaching a final is great but it only matters if you win it.
“It’s not about writing off this season, saying: ‘We’ve changed the manager, there’s a lot of changes and let’s go again next year, ‘” Milner said. Mark Hughes has done a brilliant job at Stoke – a big change in their football style.
“For me it is really easy because I had so many big defeats in my life that if I didn’t strike back I would not be here”.
Meanwhile, Eagles striker Dwight Gayle could return for the game, after he played 45 minutes for the U21 side against Millwall on Monday.
But they thrashed them 6-1 at the end of the previous campaign, and have registered notable victories since against the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United.
“It will be an interesting night”. The Reds are now eight points adrift of a place in the top four and unless something dramatically changes on the league front, Liverpool are likely to endure yet another year away from European action, the disappointment of which can be mollified by winning the cup.
“You should not waste opportunities”.
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“What I’m hearing is that in fact Liverpool are now ready to listen to any offers that come in for Christian Benteke”.
