The Reds had trailed to Islam Slimani’s header but excellent goals from Mohamed Salah and the influential Philippe Coutinho turned the game around and capped off a productive week on the pitch.
Klopp spoke to media inside the stadium after the match, offering his thoughts on Coutinho, a possible injury for James Milner and the support of local fans.
Read on for a summary of the press conference…
On the game and the tournament…
It’s a real pre-season, really hard games in the most difficult circumstances against very, very good opponents. Winning both games is a big thing – we don’t have to make it smaller than it is. We saw that not everything was working as we wanted it but a lot of things are already there. People who were here for the week know how hard it was here for a football team.
Playing these two games was really good. I’m completely fine, I’m pleased about the performance. The boys did well; yes, we conceded a goal. I said before the game the line-up is my idea, so it was clear that not everything in defence will really work because these boys together have a big offensive potential but obviously need to learn how to defend together. So we conceded the goal and then we scored two wonderful goals. A few boys did a wonderful job to go a little bit longer than 45 minutes. That was an important part.
You could see after the changes, we tried a little bit too wild to go for the third goal and gave a few opportunities away for Leicester, counter-attacks. It’s something we really have to learn – that in these moments, yes, we want to create more chances but no risky passes from the last line to midfield and lose the ball there and they get a chance. The last 30 minutes was more mature and I’m fine.
On Coutinho…
Everybody knows Phil Coutinho is a key player for us, no doubt. I know that he feels completely more than fine, comfortable, whatever, in Liverpool. He loves the club, loves the city, all that is clear. That he is able to play like tonight in a very, very difficult moment of pre-season after all these sessions is good to see and shows his big potential.
On Milner going off…
Hopefully not an injury. He felt a little bit, got a little bit stiff. It would have been big information if he would have felt it in the right moment. Usually, he ignores the pain. I hope nothing really serious, but we have to see.
LFCTV GO: Klopp's post-Leicester Hong Kong press conference
On whether Salah will be a ‘definite starter’ in the new season…
Yes, I’ve made all of my decisions four weeks before we start! All of the others are ‘definite starters’ apart from the players I cannot bring into the 11. I hope and really pray that I have more than 11 players when we start [the season] and then I will make the choice. At the moment, we have to make the boys fit. They have to show up, that’s how it is, but actually they don’t have to convince me because I am already convinced. They are only here because I am convinced. It’s about bringing themselves into the best shape they can, then we help them with a few little [pieces of] advice or a few big [pieces of] advice in different moments and tell them where it should lead. He is a good player, that is obvious.
On his message to LFC supporters in Hong Kong…
Thank you! It was great, it was fantastic, it was outstanding. I said it before, when we came here… I try to be 100 per cent honest as often in my life as I can, so it was not a dream to bring a team to Hong Kong and say ‘let’s make a camp there’. But now we’re here, we can say ‘thank you’ for being unbelievable hosts. We’ve enjoyed it. Yes, it was hard work. Yes, it was intense in a few moments. But thank you for the support, it was outstandingly good and we loved it. The celebrations around felt 50 per cent like Anfield, so it was really, really nice. Thank you very much.