Liverpool manager Jugen Klopp sounds warning to Leeds United ahead of Premier League return
The Premier League returns with a battle of two English heavyweights when Leeds United marks its top-flight return against Liverpool — and the Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has a huge warning for Marcelo Bielsa’s team.
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Jurgen Klopp has warned Leeds United to expect “the most intense game” they have ever encountered on their return to the Premier League.
Klopp also underlined how he will not allow complacency to creep into Liverpool’s defence of the title by insisting that for “as long as I breathe” the club’s focus will not be swayed.
Those tub-thumping sound bites set the tone for what he hopes will follow from his players at Anfield against opponents who will be appearing in the top flight for the first time since 2004.
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While Klopp joked that Liverpool had not seen “any suspicious people around our training ground this week” — in reference to the Spygate saga of last year, when a member of Leeds staff was caught watching a Derby County training session — his admiration for the principles that Marcelo Bielsa has imposed in reviving Leeds’ fortunes was clear.
Bielsa has already stated that “Anfield is only Anfield when it is full” in an attempt to strip away some of the mystique surrounding the venue of the club’s first Premier League game in 5,964 days, but Klopp has vowed to make it a daunting experience, despite the continued absence of supporters.
“I know Marcelo said Anfield is not Anfield without supporters and he is right, in one way,” Klopp said.
“But it is still Anfield, by the way. It is our home and we are Liverpool. That should not sound like a threat, but they did not play us very often before and it should feel different for them as well.
“We are ready to work hard and make life more uncomfortable for them than any team last year could against them. If we do not, we will suffer. That is what we have to know.
“It is the first game of the season and it sounds like it is a big advantage for Leeds because they waited so long for the Premier League. Now everything is new and they are fighting for everything and we are champions, [and people think we are] leaning back, and we all look at what Leeds are doing.
“We were not doing this and, for as long as I breathe, we will not be like this. That is the thing we have to make sure of in this game.
“It must be the most intense game Leeds ever had, otherwise we will have more problems than I want to have.”
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Leeds’ 4-1-4-1 system and desire to control the ball makes for an intriguing contrast in styles and it has meant that Klopp has had to prepare his players for a distinct challenge.
After the international fixtures, he had his entire squad together for the first time on Thursday. “We used that session to make clear to the boys the special aspects we have to consider in this game,” Klopp said.
“Usually the boys respond really well with that kind of information. We will work again to make sure we are as ready as possible.”
Georginio Wijnaldum, who will hope to start ahead of James Milner, held talks with Klopp on Wednesday.
The Holland midfielder, 29, who moved to Anfield from Newcastle United in 2016 has entered the final year of his contract and has been linked with Barcelona, although the Liverpool manager was not forthcoming.
“You think I will say here what I said to Gini Wijnaldum? No,” he said. “I said nice things to him because I was happy that he was back and healthy after two games.”
Barcelona have yet to make an approach. Rather, Klopp is more concerned with when football edges back to normality, amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I really hope that this will not be a season without supporters,” Klopp said. “It’s not the most important thing in the world but it’s important that, between all the worries and uncertainties we have, we give the people the opportunity to go back to a football stadium. It is part of our life. I hope it will happen sooner rather than later.”
In the meantime, Liverpool must generate the noise themselves.
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Originally published as Liverpool manager Jugen Klopp sounds warning to Leeds United ahead of Premier League return