‘It was good we didn’t play Everton immediately, let’s say’: Jurgen Klopp urges his Liverpool stars to channel their anger in the RIGHT way in tomorrow’s rematch of the game that wrecked their season
- Jurgen Klopp is preparing his Liverpool team to host rivals Everton at Anfield
- It is the first time the two sides have met since a tense derby earlier in the season
- Star defender Virgil van Dijk was badly injured and ruled out for the season
- Summer signing Thiago Alcantara was also hurt in the closing stages of the tie
Jurgen Klopp wants his Liverpool players to channel their anger in the right way in Saturday’s Merseyside derby with Everton, in what is a rematch of the tie which all but derailed their season earlier in the campaign.
Liverpool host their bitter city rivals at Anfield in the late kick-off, meeting Carlo Ancelotti’s side for the first time since late October when a frenetic 2-2 draw saw two major injuries, a red card and a stoppage time winner ruled out.
Speaking ahead of the showdown Klopp admits his men were left furious after seeing Jordan Pickford’s reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk, which saw the Dutchman rupture his ACL and be ruled out for the season.
Jurgen Klopp wants his players to approach Saturday’s Merseyside derby in the correct way
Nonetheless, the Liverpool boss has urged his side to approach the game in the correct manner and insists ‘nothing will be carried’ over into the match.
Addressing reporters on Friday in his pre-match press conference, Klopp said: ‘Nothing will be carried to tomorrow, that’s how it is.
‘A week later, two weeks later, three weeks later after we got the diagnosis [on Van Dijk] and all these kind of things, it was good we didn’t play Everton immediately again, let me say it like this.
‘That’s how it is. We’re all human beings and of course it was not nice but now its long gone.
‘We just don’t think about it any more, its still a derby and that’s enough to be motivated at the absolute highest level and trying to play the best football you can play and that’s it, pretty much.’
When pressed further and asked whether the derby clash against the Toffees earlier in the season marked the start of Liverpool’s failed mission to retain the title, Klopp considered the question for a few moments before replying:What can I say – it was an important day, for sure.’
More to follow