'We need everybody in our stadium to help us' - Klopp on Southampton clash
Jürgen Klopp has detailed the threat a Southampton side now in 'exceptional' form will present to Liverpool during Saturday's Premier League encounter at Anfield.
Since suffering a 9-0 defeat at home to Leicester City in October, Ralph Hasenhuttl's team have claimed 23 points from the ensuing 14 matches to climb out of the relegation zone and up to ninth in the standings.
Therefore, Klopp vowed to stress the need for his players to be at their absolute best on the weekend in order to secure victory, while he also expressed his admiration at the work being done at St Mary's.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, the Reds boss said: "I don’t have a lot of contact with Ralph but he is a colleague from Germany – he’s not from Germany but we worked in the same league – so you feel a little bit with a team like that.
"You think, 'Wow, really in trouble'. This turnaround is exceptional. I think I won the manager of the month award the last two months or so, but from my point of view it was Ralph 100 per cent because what they did from a no or low confidence level to come to this confidence level.
"Not changing the way you want to play, no, but to push it through because it was always clear how Ralph wants to play. Now implementing that in the team, it’s incredible, an incredible job. I have not often saw something like that.
"You see them playing now, yes, they lost against Wolves, but [they were] winning for most of the game and Wolves is obviously a really strong side. The two teams in the moment – apart from probably the top four or five teams in the league – who you don't want to face is Wolverhampton and Southampton.
"Obviously Southampton now looks like a pressing machine, jumping into everything, pressing on the highest level, counter-press on the highest level, but playing football as well.
"They found now a formation where it works really well with Ingzhi and Armstrong, who is now unfortunately injured. But still, Boufal came on – I think three years ago he was the main signing or so, a lot of quality – Redmond is in a super shape, Hojbjerg, Ward-Prowse, it's looks like they all waited for the moment to show finally what they are able to do.
"The analysis was like, ‘Wow, that is really intense’. So I can say immediately, tomorrow we need each and everybody in our stadium to help us.
"They had a week to prepare for that game, we played the day before yesterday. So that's a big advantage for them now.
"But that should be the only one, so we need an outstanding atmosphere please. That would be really, really nice."
Noise from the stands can help raise and maintain the levels of intensity required against a high-pressing like Hasenhuttl's Southampton.
It's a fixture Klopp is looking forward to as his squad look to go 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League.
"If we cannot be intense tomorrow then we have a problem because Southampton will ask for that," he continued. "They are super intense and we have to make sure that we are ready for intensity.
"But on the side, against a high-pressing and pressing team, we usually like when teams are going for us – [it] gives space in different areas. But we have to make sure that we are really ready for that.
"It will be a completely different game to Wednesday’s game, for example. It's interesting and very exciting, I have to say.
"I couldn’t respect more what they do, especially with the basis they are coming from – from a really tough place in that strong league.
"If they would have won against Wolves, I think they would now already be in a European place – that's just amazing."