Around it, the rest of Dortmund’s players harried and pressed and attacked at pace.
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Now, with Tottenham on the horizon on Saturday lunchtime, the 48-year-old goes in front of the media to look ahead to his first match in the Reds hotseat.
His first game in charge is against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane, where Liverpool won convincingly last time the two sides met.
It’s just to point out that there will be two teams involved and that Spurs are entitled to return from yet another worldwide break – can the Premier League ever have endured such a staccato season? – in a state of a few excitement of their own. The January transfer window is the first opportunity the German has to improve his squad.
“Klopp is a very intelligent man and he won’t destroy his own reputation in Dortmund by signing players from us”, the current DFL president told Omnisport.
“This may sound insane, but for me it does not depend on the money”.
Brazilian Lucas is expected to start in the defensive midfield role, and Klopp would trust his compatriot Emre Can to accompany Lucas in the base of the midfield.
However, that has not prevented expectation among fans going through the roof since he was confirmed as manager.
“I am a key player of this club”.
“I have no idea why the hype is so big”.
“He was so successful at his last club”, he continued. From crossing swords with one big giant, as was the case with Dortmund, he now faces a big battalion of top teams in a league that is the most competitive in the world.
“Liverpool have had a period without success and changed managers a lot. Progress is not possible without a bit of time”.
“It’s not normal club, it’s a special club”.
The 48-year-old, unveiled as Brendan Rodgers’ successor on Friday, spoke to the German newspaper Bild over the weekend and explained that it will take time to make the team challenge for titles.
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However, when asked if Klopp could be his next manager he gave a less than gratifying answer. “Sometimes it is better to keep your mouth shut – but that is quite hard at a press conference”.
