Clyne: Klopp's message was what we wanted to hear

The manager will take charge of his third Reds game this afternoon as Southampton visit Anfield and although he’s only been at the club for a little over two weeks, his message is already resonating within the camp.

Clyne explained: “Early impressions have been really positive, because he has so much enthusiasm for everything he does.

“That first meeting, when he sat everyone down at Melwood, was a good example. He was telling us we had to work as a team when he just came out with ‘you are mentally strong machines’.

“It sounded a bit strange at first, but it’s what he wants, and we’ve got to take to it. He wants us to be pressing and getting up and down the pitch like his Dortmund team did, so you can see where he’s coming from.

“He also told us he wanted to see the league title coming to Anfield during his time with us. That’s the level he has set the bar at. It’s a bold statement, but he is that kind of guy. I think every player in our dressing room is here to win trophies.

“That’s what a big club like Liverpool, with all the history attached to it, is all about, and it is time we delivered. As players, it was just what we wanted to hear.”

One aspect of Liverpool life that has changed under Klopp’s stewardship so far has been an increase in intensity level during training sessions at Melwood, believes Clyne.

The England full-back continued: “The message from the outset was he wants us pressing the ball high up the pitch, getting around players and not letting them breathe.

“We train every day, and there is no doubt it has increased in intensity. There is a lot of running and closing down and working on shape and how to press as a team.

“How did he prepare us for all that?  He showed us some video clips of him coaching at Dortmund and putting their players through the same drills, so we knew exactly what lay ahead.

“I watched them when they were winning the Bundesliga and various cups and reaching the Champions League final. It didn’t do them much harm.”

Klopp’s enthusiasm has been on full display on the touchline during his first two Liverpool matches with Tottenham Hotspur and Rubin Kazan.

The 48-year-old has barely sat down over the course of those 180 minutes, instead preferring to try and talk the team through the matches.

“You can see, on the touchline, there is a hard side to him,” Clyne said. “He’s there constantly shouting at people to get back or push forward. He did tell us anyone not working will get shouted at, so I’m going to have to watch out when I’m on his side of the pitch.

“I got it in the ear a bit in the second half [against Rubin Kazan] when I was virtually through on goal in front of The Kop but unselfishly decided to square it to someone else.

“It didn’t work out, unfortunately, and I was reminded I should have had a shot myself. To be fair, a few of my mates said the same afterwards. I ended up having a bit of a restless night.”