Liverpool | Klopp over Bavaria, concrete and the learning to win

Thomas Böker reports from the Stade de France

• Thiago offers extra performances
• Mané in focus

When a coach expresses something like that, it is nothing earth-shattering. What else? Where is the mood bad before the most important final in European club football? But Liverpool would have every reason to be sad, after all, Manchester City had the better end for himself on Sunday in this gripping duel for the championship in England.

But in Anfield you can see the whole thing from the other side: the Reds did not lose a title this season, but won two. "Against Chelsea, in a penalty shootout," recalls Klopp, "it couldn't be more difficult." And twice, in the league cup and in the FA Cup. To become second behind the Skyblues has now not triggered jumps in joy, but this team is too consolidated as if it were letting out of the track.

Thiago offers extra performances

As if there had been a proof, there was a lot of laughter on the lawn of the Stade de France in Paris in the short exercise unit. Logically, although it was not really practiced: a short warm-up program, a rondo, slatted shooting and a few more passports. So not quite.

For all lovers of the beautiful football, Thiago offered a few extra performances when he processed 50 meters of the replacement goalkeeper with the hoe, the tension or sole. Twice flawlessly, once with a slight contractions when accepting the ball, which visibly annoyed the perfectionists.

Thiago? Yes, the Thiago, who had to be injured against Wolverhampton on Sunday, had already trained with his colleagues on Thursday, so it can be an option for the starting eleven. With him as a eighth, the Reds are simply better, more variable. Naby Keita, although from Klopp even in the highest tones praised in the catacombs of the French nation stadium, is not enough.

We would also play on concrete

Jürgen Klopp

Klopp confessed that such a final training in the stadium was "actually more for the media", but "today I'm very happy about it". Because: The lawn in the Stade de France has been relocated for this final, and it "had a feeling to get it". He left it opened, "whether that was the best idea" to drive up a fresh run before such a match, but emphasized that he really didn't want to get a big deal out. "We would also play on concrete," he said in typical Klopp mode.

This, his way, is mostly in a good mood, happy, life-affirming. After defeats, you don't want to run into him, but if that were the case, he would have missed his job. Especially before finals, "and I have already lost some of them," he said, it was important to reflect: "This team had to learn to win." But now he has shaped the Reds for one of the top addresses on Europe, "we are an uncomfortable opponent", although he realized real "favorites". Objectively, you do not have to share this opinion if you compare the two squads.

Mané in focus

Sadio Mané is particularly in focus, of course. Does he stay? Is he going? Even to Bavaria? "It's not the right moment to talk about it," said Klopp, "but no matter where he will play," he will be a big player ". Besides, it is not the first time that Bayern rumors before one I seemed to notice important game, he apparently casually noticed. But the message also understood who wanted.

A journalist wanted to know whether he, Klopp, because something surprising. The experienced coach also gave a remarkable answer to that: "If I did something surprising in a final, my players would think that I would be nervous."

He is definitely not, and the words were certainly not directed to pep guardiola. Some may have to think of City's master coach, because while Klopp is in the final class for the third time in five years, Pep, who liked to conjure up unexpected things out of his hat, was unsuccessful after his time at Barça. Klopp won in 2019, he lost in 2018. Therefore "we want to make something correct."

One should not conclude from a press conference to the outcome of a final-with his appearance, the German somehow left little doubt as if he couldn't succeed on Saturday evening.