Europe
UCL:Jurgen Klopp sends warning message to Liverpool players despite 2-0 win over Inter Milan
UCL:Jurgen Klopp sends warning message to Liverpool players despite 2-0 win over Inter Milan
Liverpool boss, Jurgen Klopp has warned his players not to think they have the job done against Inter Milan after taking charge of the Champions League tie.
Two second half goals from substitute Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah earned the Reds a 2-0 victory at the San Siro in their round of 16 first leg on Wednesday evening.
Liverpool had to hold off pressure from Simione Inzaghi’s men who dominated in the first half and came close to scoring.
Klopp insists there is still everything to play for when return game takes place at Anfield next month.
“It is still dangerous,” said the Reds boss. “It is only half-time. We don’t feel like we are halfway through. We know it will be a tricky one and will have to be ready for it.
“They are good. They play different from us but they are really good.
“Two-nil feels like a proper half-time. I don’t say ‘job done, put your legs on the table’. It’s a very tricky result. Why should we think different about it now?
“Most of their chances came when we lost the ball in dangerous areas.
“Inter are a very physical team. They played real smart balls, they have this deep last line and in the beginning, we did very well with our high press, it was tricky for them to find a way out but we didn’t get anything from it.
“We invested a lot but didn’t get anything from it. Then it’s difficult to keep that up. But in general, I was not surprised by Inter – they are good. We know that. We have to be ready for the second half.”
Klopp lauded his team for their strong defensive performance in which center-back pairing Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate were impressive on the night.
“We defended really well, the way we like to defend,” he said. “We like to win the ball early, but if that’s not possible, against them it’s not really possible as they make the pitch really big.
“It makes it really tricky and you have to defend with passion and organisation.
“It was really strong defensive performance but it would be silly if you didn’t defend well. It means a lot to us this competition, so we defended well.”
In other news, Trent Alexander-Arnold showers praise on Liverpool star who has contributed so much to the team