Football updates
(video) Watch; 5 talking points from jurgen klopp’s pre-Manchester United press conference: Darwin Nunez, Naby Keita transfer, 8 man Liverpool injury updates
(video) Watch; 5 talking points from jurgen klopp’s pre-Manchester United press conference: Darwin Nunez, Naby Keita transfer, 8 man Liverpool injury updates
Here are five talking points from jurgen klopp as he looked ahead to Monday’s game:
Ins and outs
At least ten players have outs, thus there are a lot of them.
However, Joe Gomez is anticipated to start after similarly displaying no concerns, while Roberto Firmino is to be in contention after exercising “normally” over the week.
As for Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, “they are getting closer, but no chance for this game.”
In addition to Darwin Nunez being suspended, injured players Thiago, Caoimhin Kelleher, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Calvin Ramsay, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, and Kaide Gordon are all unable to play.
Straight to the Naby ‘news’
The last few days have seen Naby Keita‘s name linked with exit rumours, with reports claiming he was “unhappy with his situation” at Anfield.
But from Klopp’s view, there is “absolutely nothing” wrong on that front and that Keita looks “really good” in training.
“[He is] not a player who is overly happy when he is not playing, but it should not be so,” the manager admitted.
Talks with Nunez
Despite a long list of injuries, Nunez’s red card on Monday night was a setback for both the player and Liverpool.
However, now that the incident has been discussed, it is time to move past it.
The manager is “extremely disappointed with himself that that happened,” and does not want to see Nunez “go through the building with [his] head down.”
Klopp was quick to emphasize that Nunez may anticipate receiving similar treatment in the upcoming games, despite the fact that he is not a “expert” in these situations because they rarely, if ever, occur while under his guidance.
A cheeky pop from the boss!
We all enjoy a good cheeky jab from Klopp, and on this occasion he chose to take aim at ex-player Gabby Agbonlahor after hearing him criticize Manchester United following their 4-0 loss at Brentford.
The fact that a player who Klopp does not recall being “a mentality monster on the pitch” during Aston Villa’s 6-0 loss to Liverpool in 2016 had so much to say struck Klopp as hilarious.
“I watched the first half here [at Kirkby] and I drove home and coincidentally listen to talkSPORT and Gabby Agbonlahor… he lost against us 6-0 in my first year.
“I couldn’t remember him as a mentality monster on the pitch, but what he said about United in that show, I was close to calling in.
“I was close to calling in and telling him you forgot completely you’ve been a player!
“It was unbelievable.”
Telling it how it is, we love it.
‘Need performances to work with’
For Liverpool, the start of the season has been everything from predictable, with their three matches against Man City, Fulham, and Crystal Palace all providing something unusual, both good and terrible.
He wants to see performances from which Klopp can learn.
“At the start of the season you want to have results, I don’t want to say first and foremost, but they help a lot. But you need performances to work with.
“We now have a lot of good and a few not so good, now we go from here.”
In other news, Watch Jurgen Klopp furious as he admits Darwin Nunez will have to be out for a long time