Klopp hits back at Liverpool's social media 'experts' - "somebody showed me"
Jurgen Klopp reckons he’d need to sign 10 midfielders this summer…if he listened to the internet warriors who model themselves as Liverpool experts.
The Reds boss though, has called for calm over the need for reinforcements, suggesting that any panic in the face of a troubled campaign could risk wasting the huge promise of a young generation that is ready to shine.
Klopp couldn’t resist a dig at the emotional response of some so-called experts, when he joked: "If you go to social media and look there you think: "Oh my God! There is no bigger problem in the world than our midfield!'
"Somebody showed me after the last game we played, a thing on Instagram and what people write about our line-up. Not a lot of them wanted Curtis Jones on the pitch or Cody Gakpo on the pitch and when they saw Joel Matip was playing they say they will watch the other game and these are people who like us usually!”
As Liverpool prepare for a showdown with Spurs that could decide which of them plays in Europe next season, there was a serious side to Klopp’s measured humour.
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He knows he has, in the likes of Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Stefen Bajcetic two teenagers and a 22 year old who could prove the cornerstone of the Reds midfield for the next decade.
And for Klopp, it is important not to go to extremes in search of a solution for this season’s relative failure. "I understand that this season makes people nervous, I understand that 100%,” he said.
Jurgen Klopp has been reading your social media posts and he isn't impressed (Getty Images)“We were not ourselves in big parts of the season, but we still have to make good decisions and not panic decisions where we say: 'That's it for him! He will never come back and play football for us again.' That is not how it is.
"That is why I said that whatever we do in the summer, it will not be enough for these people in the first place, so we have to make decisions on the basis of the things we know. That is exactly what we will do.”
Elliott has been a central figure this season, while Jones has finally shaken off a troublesome eye injury to start the last five games, which is their longest run without defeat of the entire season.
Incredibly, before this current sequence, they have only managed a run of three matches before a defeat, and Klopp said his young stars must be given a chance to show what they can offer…even with some new summer signings.
“We didn’t show it enough this year, but we have a lot of potential in this team and we will keep that, use that, improve that and bring new players in. Both are possible, I think,” he added.
"I’m really pleased with Harvey because he has played a lot, and was for spells our most consistent player. Curtis has shown up now and Stefan was really a revelation like 'Ooof! Who is that!? Oh my God, he is really good!'
"It is all good but other players have played good football as well and not all of them are too old and stuff like this; you need experience in a team as well.”
Jurgen Klopp has been impressed with his youngsters (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Klopp has Ibrahima Konate back from injury, and will wait on Diogo Jota, who has a back problem. And he insisted that Liverpool will be stronger next season, no matter how many they sign in the summer:
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"We will be improved after pre-season, this year will help us as well after all the other years, that were intense for different reasons.This year was intense as well but at least we didn’t play as many games as the years before and that is something we have to use as well.
"We want to go back to big finals, to big occasions. For that we have to work hard, and we will do that. We need the right players and that is what we will have as well."
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