Still, considering Liverpool’s away form and Newcastle’s terrible season thus far, Liverpool will be the heavy favorites going into the match on Sunday.
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– Reuters/Livepic picSpeaking of Sturridge, Klopp told a news conference yesterday: “I think confidence is normal, like it is with a player with long injury history”.
“Now they are back and that’s really good for us”. All those lads looked like they’d put in a major shift but they weren’t on their knees because of it. Press when the time is right: that’s the motto.
“I don’t expect someone to go into a one-on-one situation with a big smile on their face but, you know what I mean, it’s important to be able to enjoy what you are doing”.
“Confidence is like a small flower”.
“We have to be concentrated from the first second”. Both teams were powerhouses back then, and while Liverpool have declined somewhat in recent years, their opponents Newcastle are a shadow of the side that entertained many during the 1990s.
“We have to be prepared for that”. We try to make the best with the players we have and at this moment we don’t know what is best.
Obviously it does bring extra challenges, as does playing lots of extra games in the domestic cup competition, not that we would know much about that… “We must be prepared”.
“Hendo [Jordan Henderson] is a good example to explain why players have to be handled differently”.
“It’s about getting back to the high standards that we had earlier on in the season before these three defeats – getting a reaction and getting back to winning ways”. Klopp now has to decide whether to reward those who shone in midweek or recall the likes of James Milner, Roberto Firmino and Christian Benteke, all of whom are well rested.
“We must give him time to come in”.
Klopp, when asked for an update on the forward’s fitness, insisted that whilst he likes optimism – the reds were “too optimistic” and acknowledged it as something that “sometimes happens like this”. “He can train almost normally but doesn’t feel totally comfortable”, says Klopp.
“We have to take care of this”. I had to train to get fitter and stronger.
“Wednesday/Sunday is ok for recovery”. They hammered Southampton despite having a number of senior players either on the bench or watching at home. Daniel Sturridge impressed Jurgen Klopp as the England global scored a brace, followed by a hat-trick from Divok Origi.
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It is easy to forget that tenth-placed Saints were unbeaten in eight games before the last global break and, although their confidence has been knocked in this latest run, that winning spirit hasn’t completely dissipated.
