Jurgen Klopp: It won’t be a friendly against Manchester United you always need a bit of luck to win trophies

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke about his expectations for the new season at a press conference on his arrival in Bangkok for pre-season. Klopp says there is room for improvement in the new season.

Home » Jurgen Klopp: It won’t be a friendly against Manchester United you always need a bit of luck to win trophies
Jurgen Klopp: It won't be a friendly against Manchester United you always need a bit of luck to win trophies

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke about his expectations for the new season at a press conference on his arrival in Bangkok for pre-season. Klopp says there is room for improvement in the new season.

Regarding the reception upon arrival in Bangkok

Jurgen Klopp: “Thank you very much for the warm welcome we’ve had here, it’s really great. This is actually my second time in Thailand, the first time I flew to Sydney and had an hour layover at Phuket airport. I heard so many good things about Thailand that I couldn’t wait to experience them. Obviously we are looking forward to the game and if we have time we would like to have a look around Bangkok. I hope we can have a great time together and bond more closely with our fans in Thailand, which will be absolutely great and thank you so much for the warm welcome.”

About Tuesday’s game against Manchester United

Jurgen Klopp: “Normally the football game is the most important thing for us, but in this particular situation it is really more important for people. We have brought 37 players so we have players of all ages here and we have to use them all. The players who went on international duty in the summer arrived today and they cannot play for long, but we will try to give them some time.

“So, it will be very exciting, Manchester United have a new manager and they have trained a little bit longer than us, so I’m not sure, maybe they are in a better situation at the moment. But I think it is an important test because it is against Manchester United and we will not play it as a friendly, obviously neither team will play it as a friendly, so we will see what we can do.

Expectations for the 2022-23 season

Jurgen Klopp: “A good season, a season we can improve, we have room to improve, it’s not about how many games you can win, it’s about: how we play. You can always do better, and that’s what we’re going to try.”

On his preparations for the Manchester united game

Jurgen Klopp: “We never prepare for one game, we prepare for a full season, which means the players from last Monday have had the right start so far and we can train the way we want. We’ve had a good week and now we have two games in Asia, first this one and then crystal Palace in Singapore. So we need to have a look, we have to train, we have to play, which means the game is actually like a training session, but the players have to work very hard.”

“Let’s think about this particular moment and then we can go back to England and then from there we can go to Austria for another training camp. That camp ended with us playing Manchester City in the Community Shield, so it wasn’t long, so we had to work very hard in the training sessions. You might see guys get a little tired during the game, but it’s a big part of the preseason and we go through these tough moments and then we can benefit throughout the season.”

The belief that Liverpool will continue to challenge for trophies this season

Jurgen Klopp: “Be as confident as you can, you never know, but I saw on the plane today a team full of quality. If you want to win trophies you always need a bit of luck and we all know that. But to have a good season, the first thing you need is consistency, that’s what it’s all about and that’s what we’re going to try and I have no doubt about the players’ ability.”

“We have brought in new players and, yes, we have lost some players, but we have also had new arrivals. New blood, if you will, can really help. Right now we don’t have an order, we don’t have a word about who’s going to be there. The players will put pressure on and that is important. From now on we can also replace five players in the Premier League, we have to get used to that, we have to adapt to that. I’m really looking forward to it. There are no guarantees in football, but I would say there’s a good chance we’ll have another good season.”

On the possible positive impact of the championship parade in May

Jurgen Klopp: “It was absolutely unbelievable. Jordan Henderson said afterwards: ‘That was one of the best days of our lives’ and I think we all felt that for different reasons. It’s certainly an atmosphere, but also an expression of respect for what we’ve done together over the years. Not just the year before, but the years before. In 2019-20, we didn’t get a chance to celebrate the championship and all that in a proper way.”

“It was definitely a great experience and just a few days ago people were asking me: ‘How does it feel to finish the season on a low note’? I really had to think: ‘Trough, what do you mean’? Then I realised he was referring to the Champions League final and I understood that. But the way we ended the season was with the championship parade, and that was definitely the high point.”

“To be honest, I don’t need proof, but if anyone does, it definitely proves that this club is very special and people are very extreme when they talk about our situation, I don’t have the right word for that. Whatever the reason, trying to do the parade of Champions again and again is absolutely brilliant and a real driving force, and obviously it’s a good reason — we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen next year, and that’s a good reason.”