'To be successful, you need goals from everywhere'
Jürgen Klopp believes Liverpool’s ability to share goals across the side is a major asset and is required to enjoy success as a club.
Curtis Jones became the champions' 17th different Premier League scorer of the campaign last weekend, equalling a club record previously set in 1911-12 and 2015-16.
Speaking at his press conference to preview Saturday’s showdown with Burnley, Klopp heaped praised on Liverpool’s potent front three - who reached a collective landmark of 250 goals for the Reds in Wednesday’s 3-1 win versus Brighton and Hove Albion - but described the importance of other players chipping in within the final third.
Read on for the boss' thoughts on that, the challenge the Clarets will pose and his respect for Sean Dyche...
On goals being shared throughout the team...
That’s good and how it should be. Nobody, especially the way we play, says, ‘You are not allowed to score; you have to always stay there’. OK, the centre-halves are not often involved in offensive action, apart from set-pieces, for the final situation. It’s good, it’s exactly how it should be. If you want to be successful, the goals need to come from everywhere, pretty much. That helps us, of course. Curtis did it. Two days ago, I heard now that the three up-front were involved in 250 goals since we worked together, and that’s a great number as well. It’s good that we all score, but it’s very good that the three up-front score - especially often. That helps in all the games, but especially in the very tight games. That’s it.
On Burnley…
We face a team with a brilliant attitude. What Sean Dyche is doing there is absolutely exceptional. I know they have some injuries, which is always difficult, especially in a period where you play every three days. On top of that, I’m not 100 per cent aware of it, but I think I heard of some contract issues when players are not available anymore. They have a pretty small squad together and [are] playing every three days so I have so much respect for the results they got. It’s really, really good. We will face a team with a brilliant attitude, with a really, really good set-up, good defending; there will be a lot of fights for second balls. That’s clear. Set-pieces will be a massive thing in this game and they will fight for everything, how Sean Dyche teams always do, since I’m in England, at least. I’ve known him for four-and-a-half years now. We need to be ready again.
On Dyche…
I have [respect]. I came to the country and manage Liverpool; you go to a place like Burnley and they fight with all they have. It’s not nice. We are both pretty animated at the pitch and very emotional, I would say, on the sidelines. I can imagine that people maybe think we don’t have the best relationship, but we don’t really have a relationship because we meet only a couple of times a year. The more and more I learn about this league and how competitive this league is before you even know it, but you only really know it when you feel it. I couldn’t respect more what he’s doing, that’s the truth. How he sets it up, how competitive they are every year and now, again, they have 40-something points and will probably have more than 50. That’s incredibly difficult, with the injuries and the setbacks you get over a year, it’s incredibly difficult. He’s doing an incredible job, honestly. During the lockdown we had some Zoom calls and he seems to be a good guy. What can I say? That’s all.
