Jürgen Klopp on defensive set-piece work and long-term future plans
Jürgen Klopp detailed how Liverpool worked to improve their defending at set-pieces following defeat to West Ham United in November, as well as answering questions on his long-term future during the second part of his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Read on to see what the manager told reporters at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the Hammers’ visit to Anfield on Saturday evening.
On working on defensive set-pieces after the defeat at West Ham last November…
We are not famous for having struggles with defending set-pieces. You don't think too much on it, you still do it in training, but you don't put too much focus on it... We obviously had a couple of things we had to improve. Our protection we had to improve from that game. We were very flexible in the things we did, but when we lost the ball – which is what happened – our counter-press was not at the highest level and immediately they chipped a ball to Bowen and here the counter-attack goes. The last line was not high enough in these moments, the protection was just not good. There were so many things after that game, we had to talk about it a lot. That's what you should use a defeat for, otherwise it make absolutely no sense. We used that game, that’s true, but it is not now something special.
With defending set-pieces, it is about really being in the situation. We have the physical basis to defend set-pieces most of the time, sometimes we are slightly shorter than the opponent, but usually we have the physical. We have the organisation to do it, so then it is very much about the concentration level in these moments. That day we obviously we had a slight problem with that, I don't think we had it after that too often, but doesn’t mean anything for tomorrow. Really, thank you for reminding me, so I will tell the boys again today that there is something to improve.
On the factors he has to consider about his long-term future…
If I have the energy level for it. This is important. I love what I do, but I've said it a couple of times – there must be something else outside there in the world, to be honest, apart from always thinking about, yes, very well, properly skilled, good looking, fantastically nice football players, but that's it. I really don’t think about it, honestly. At the moment, I am full of energy but I have to make sure, or we have to make sure, that's the case because I don't want to sit around and be more often tired than not, then think, 'Wow, why is everyone bothered about the things out there? I couldn't care less' and all these kind of things. So, that’s it.
On planning for the long-term future of Liverpool FC…
When I spoke about the plan, I spoke about the club. My future will be OK. I don't have to plan, I could book last minute, let's me say it like this – that’s not a problem. The plan is for the future of the club, what we are constantly working on, that everything is in place and the things we do they are not for me, not for us, not for this generation, they are for a long, long time. There are so many things we tried to improve here over the years. In the beginning I think a lot of people thought, 'He is from Germany, now we do it like the Germans do it...' Not at all.
I was nearly 20 years working in jobs and it was not that I thought, 'Oh my God we are perfect, I should bring all that stuff out there to other countries!' I didn’t think that for a second. No, it is just doing the right things, employing the right people, putting them in the right positions and that doesn't mean you win the title, it just means you have the right people for the right job, so use them. That's what we try. These people, we have a lot of them here in the moment and that’s the plan, that things will be good, will be fine, even – whenever it will be – after I leave.
On what his current plan is…
There are a lot of things. I get it. What did I say when I signed the last contract, I forgot it? The plan is, in the moment, do 2024, thank you very much.