Jürgen Klopp on FIFA Club World Cup final: 'We feel it is a massive opportunity'

The FIFA Club World Cup feels 'really special' to Jürgen Klopp and his Liverpool squad as they prepare to take on Flamengo in Saturday's final in Qatar.

The Reds are looking to win the trophy for the first time in the club's history, having secured a spot in the showpiece with a 2-1 victory over Monterrey in a last-four tie on Wednesday.

That result set up a meeting with the CONMEBOL representative from Brazil to determine who will be crowned the 2019 world champions.

Klopp previewed the encounter during a press conference at Khalifa International Stadium on Friday afternoon - read a summary below...

On what comes to mind when he thinks about Brazilian football... 

My father always said, 'Whatever happens in the future, whatever people will tell you in the future, Pele is the best player in the world'. The first thing when I think about Brazilian football is Pele, and a lot of other good footballers obviously come from this wonderful country. I don't know if I can really judge Brazilian football after watching Flamengo a couple of hours or even more, but I know what we have to probably expect from Flamengo - it's a very intense style, it's a very good, organised style.

Jorge Jesus changed the fortunes and a lot of other things since he is in, brought new players in, in the defence especially. It is a really settled line-up, it's a team where everybody knows what they have to do. They have different ways of play, they have playing build-up, they can be more direct, they have speed up front, they have creativity in the centre of the park, they are cheeky on the wings, they can play crosses, they go inside, all that stuff. It's just like a football team should be, like a successful football team is. They are pretty much not used to losing football games anymore because they didn't lose a lot since Jorge Jesus is in. That's what we know about the team, but we know one thing as well - you said I never played against a Brazilian team, that's true, but Flamengo never played against a team like Liverpool as well. We will see who can make more of this tomorrow night.

On the feelings heading into this final, having won the Champions League in June...

Look, it is not an advantage or a disadvantage or whatever, but this situation is different for Flamengo and for us. Flamengo got sent here from their continent with a clear order to win it and to come back as heroes. We got told, 'Stay at home and play the Carabao Cup'. That's a massive difference. We cannot change that. But we are here and we - my team - want to win the competition, even when we know it is very difficult because the other team is really, really good, but that's how it is with the big competitions. I think the view on it in Europe is completely different to the view in the rest of the world. But I like pretty much to change that view a little bit in the moment, it changed for me since we are here. Will that change the view of people in Europe? Probably not.

Liverpool fans want us to win and most of the other fans don't really care about the competition and the rest of the world is completely different. You could see that with how Monterrey fought in the two games they played, how much they invested and it will be the same with Flamengo tomorrow with an even higher quality in the team. For us, it feels really special now. We are settled, we sorted the sleeping issues in the first two days, which of course everybody had since we are here. We could train, we could rest the players in the right moment and now we have to make sure that we are ready for this. We are here, so we want to give it a proper try. You cannot do more before a game, we could not do more before the Champions League final. Yes, we feel the tension in the situation, but we feel it is a massive opportunity and we want to try it.

On how his coaching has evolved over 18 years... 

18 years? Wow! Yes, I developed of course as a person first and foremost - I am calmer than I used to be, I'm not that easy to get nervous anymore or overly excited. That's the good thing of age, which obviously you [the reporter] don't know yet, but you will see that's cool. Most of the things are not good when you get older, but these things are good. I can deal with situations much better. I'm a better coach than when I started, 100 per cent. I'm still the same person, nothing changed really. More people know me, that's not too cool but it's a sign for some successful moments in my life. That's it pretty much. It's long ago the last time I thought about me. I look different, massively different, to 18 years ago and that obviously shows that it's quite an intense job what I do but I love it, I love what I do and that's why I probably don't feel the intensity that much.

On Flamengo's forwards...

It is a really good team. Gabigol probably will play up front if nothing happens between now [and the game], Henrique is a strong player, if Diego is coming on, very experienced and I know him from the Bundesliga like a few other players. It's not about one player but the impression was really, really positive and that's how it is. We show our respect for our opponents usually with the attitude on the pitch, that's what we try this time again. That means we are not here as the European champions and want to show that Europe is kind of football-wise ahead of the rest of the world.

We are here as Liverpool FC and we want to win a football game, that's all. You only can be in this final if you have a really strong team and obviously Flamengo has that and we are not too bad as well, so nothing is decided before the game. Good, that's how football should be. It means we both have the same chances, it's about who has better solutions for the different moments, not who has better players or whatever. It's about finding solutions in the game, using your own patterns, which we usually do, and then play the best football you are able to play. It's not about individual players. They help obviously and I love my team, my squad, how you can imagine, but I don't think about which other player of another would play in my team. I have the best team I could wish for and tomorrow night we will line them up and we will try.

On the prospect of becoming the first Liverpool team in history to win the Club World Cup…

It is not something I will use in a meeting: you can become a legend if you win the competition and stuff like this. That all keeps your mind away from the really necessary things. If somebody sees the boys as legends after their careers then great, wonderful for different reasons. Absolutely great. But you cannot go for being seen as a legend, you just win football games, you just try to make your best. We are here for different reasons: we qualified, the boys wanted to play it, the club wanted to play it and I wanted to play it. That's why we are here, so now we should play. It is not about having a guarantee about what happens afterwards. When Flamengo is going back and they've won it, they will probably have a proper party. We play Leicester City, so that's the difference but who cares? That's how it is. We cannot make the competition bigger for Europe as it is maybe, but for us it is the most important in the moment because we are here, it is the only game we have to play tomorrow, so let's try everything.

On his opposite number, Jorge Jesus…

Jorge Jesus did incredible jobs. He changed pretty much everything. Unbelievable. I think if there would be an election at the moment, he could probably become president of Brazil as well, even though he is from Portugal! He was always a very successful coach. He worked so long for Benfica, worked for Sporting, which is an interesting move in Portugal to do that! He is quite a character obviously and he is very experienced and famous for being really well organised, having interesting routines for set-pieces and stuff like this. I have followed his way for a long time and I think it is the first time we have faced each other, if I am right. It is interesting and I am looking forward to meeting him tomorrow night; we met once before in a UEFA coaches' meeting. Yes, of course, the work he is doing in Brazil - and that he did before in Europe - gives him for sure the opportunity to go to a European club again, if he wanted that. But maybe Rio is such a nice city that he wants to stay there!

On the atmosphere in the stadium for the final…

The atmosphere was really good in our first game. It sounded like when Mo showed up on the screen and the stadium went really mad. I saw a lot of red shirts, so I am fine with that. I am not sure if it was Egypt or Liverpool, we have to find out - I think they support both! Atmosphere always helps, so we will see how the atmosphere will be. As I said, in the hotel next to me there must be every night a Flamengo party, they have at least 500 here! They are really wild in partying, I am not sure they are still able to make the game! There will be a good atmosphere in the stadium, I'm sure. Atmosphere is always an influence and who wants to help us tomorrow night in the game, you are very welcome. We are used to really good atmospheres, so if our fans from this part of the world want to show they can create something similar like we usually do at Anfield then give it a try.

On whether Liverpool have a 'psychological advantage' going into the game…

Do we have an advantage? I don't know. Look, what we try every day, we try to prepare solutions for the problems we have. Sometimes we know about the problems beforehand and find a solution, sometimes we face problems all of a sudden and have to find solutions. That is our job. We don't see us as a team who cannot lose games or stuff like this, we see ourselves as a team who has to work their socks off to have a chance to win the game. That is what we try all the time. I don't see a real psychological advantage, to be honest, I don't think about it.

It is just that we try to make sure we are 100 per cent ready for this game with everything we do over the days, everything the boys eat, the number of hours they sleep, the treatment we give them, the training we do, the recovery, the things we offer them. We give them time off for their minds to think about something completely different. We do all of these things to only create the best possible basis to win the next football game. While we're doing it, we try to have a good time together because otherwise it would a bit boring. We don't expect we are the only team who are doing it this way. I spoke about the Flamengo players and when I saw the Flamengo supporters, they are having a good time because Flamengo played a really exceptional season. They are in a good moment as well, so we have to see who can use the momentum better or more tomorrow night. No advantage before the game but we are ready to work for advantages in the game.

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