The big match is on this Sunday when Liverpool face Manchester United with the champions still not looking at their best, and with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men suddenly top of the Premier League table.
The Anfield boss has made it clear that this is hardly the time for mind games but simple straight talking instead.
Jurgen Klopp has said that he’s rubbish at putting pressure on opponents.
“Unfortunately, I have no skills for playing mind games,” he said in the run up to the biggest game of the league season so far.
His words were a putdown to former referee Mark Clattenburg and to Ole, with both believe th e Liverpool boss highlighted United’s number of penalty awards to put pressure on Sunday’s official, Paul Tierney. Mind games put aside, Klopp’s words could just have easily been about his approach to a game this weekend that could well define his team’s faltering season.
Liverpool have won just five of their last 12 matches, a run since November 23 which has seen their air of invincibility punctured dramatically.
Klopp went into the reasons behind his side’s struggles only last week, admitting that attempts to sort out his injury-hit back-line had caused huge problems in all other areas.
Despite that he offers neither excuses nor illusions for his side apart from saying it’s not been good enough, in a rare example of straight-talking from a Premier League manager.
He also added it is not as simple as telling his league champions to just go out now and prove they are the country’s best, either.
“If it would be that easy, I would just say exactly that: Show it now!”
Instead, he argued that no team, not even a world-beating Liverpool side who have appeared invincible for two seasons, can expect to “click” all the time, which was why he he told his side in a clear the air meeting this week the response must be simple, and emphatic – learn from the surprise set backs instead of being derailed by them, because setbacks are inevitable.
“Obviously we did not do outstandingly well since mid-November. But thank God, when I say I don’t think about the good things, that I don’t think about the about the bad things. Who cares? We still have 33 points!” he explained.
“Yes, we are not where we want to be but we have learned a lot from this season. We have learned a lot. The circumstances, dealing with the situation.
“It is not because of the boys’ attitude. It’s just because it didn’t work out. What we had to accept, after a long time when things were just clicking in specific games, they then did not click. It’s not that it disappeared somewhere.”
Klopp knows the time is well nigh for him and his Reds to respond positively.
Sunday’s match is ideal for Liverpool to rediscover their indomitable attitude than against the pretenders to their crown, a United side who come to Anfield with aggressive confidence and even a supercilious, cocky countenance.