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Jurgen Klopp has revealed how Georginio Wijnaldum’s rallying cry before the game inspired Liverpool to fly out of the trap in their midweek win over Tottenham Hotspur.
The Reds came to Wednesday’s head-to-head clash at Anfield after a visit to the newly promoted Fulham, from which they were perhaps lucky enough to win a 1-1 draw.
A slow start explained that perception, as the Cottagers created one opportunity after another in a one-sided first half in the capital.
As such, Wijnaldum was eager to emphasize the importance of improvement on that front for his teammates when they returned to Anfield three days later.
Klopp explained: “I think it was Gini in the dressing room before the Tottenham game.” [saying], ‘Don’t let us waste the first half again!’ Was screaming.
“We should have yelled that again before leaving the locker room at halftime because we lost 10-15 minutes then.
“Obviously it was a different match, but it makes perfect sense. But if you don’t have the perfect start, which is completely normal because it can happen, then you have to restart in the next minute, not after the break.
“We have room to improve, it’s incredible, but the guys played a pretty good game in the last game, it was a very difficult game. Now they feel good at the moment and we try to take advantage of that.”
Having won 12 of their first 13 Premier League matches last season, Liverpool have already lost points in five separate encounters during the same period this period.
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But Klopp isn’t sure if that’s because, as reigning champions, his team now has a target on their back.
He added: “It would probably be better to ask the other teams if they are more desperate now to beat us.
“Since I’ve been at Liverpool, my feeling is that wherever we go, everyone wants to beat us. Not many other teams ‘like’ the great history of this club.”
“I said it once when we came to Newcastle in a situation where Newcastle was completely safe in the league and it was like a World Cup final! I was like, ‘Wow, what’s going on here?’
“The reason must be in the past because we didn’t do anything wrong against Newcastle since I’ve been here, I think.
“But we didn’t even get to a situation where we feel like reigning champions, maybe matchday one or two.
“Since then, we just tried to solve our own problems to overcome them in some way, so our smallest problem right now is that we won last year and everyone wants to beat us now.”
“Everyone wants to beat us, that’s a problem, but is it because we won the league last year? I have no idea.”
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