Jurgen Klopp assures fans of “reloaded” Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has promised fans of the Merseyside outfit a “reloaded” team ahead of the new 2023–24 Premier League season.
The 19-time English champions finished fifth in the league last season and missed out on a place in the UEFA Champions League, but Klopp, who heads into his ninth season as Liverpool manager, reiterated that his side are keen to fight their way back into the top four spots and into the mix with the “big boys” in Europe.
“We have this kind of new start with this Liverpool FC reloaded if you want,” the German said. “It’s an exciting thing. Everyone was asking for changes, rightly so, because we were together for a long time and things went really well and then not that well anymore and stuff like this.
“Timing for a change is always probably the biggest challenge in life to find that. Did we exactly in the right moment? Difficult to answer, but now it happened and that’s good.
“It’s deep inside, it’s there anyway. So we want to show up. We have absolutely in a few weeks’ time or whenever the draw is, we’re really happy to play European League, but of course we want to be in Champions League after.
“Both is pretty difficult, but we should give a try for both I would say and then we’ll see if we can do it or not. We have targets, a lot of targets. We are highly motivated. Like I said, my good feeling is based on the things I saw and the good things we did during the preseason,” Klopp added.
Liverpool have done much of their transfer business early, bringing in the duo of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai for a combined €112 million. The Reds lost a number of big players and characters this summer, as they will be without the likes of Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino to mention a few.
However, the former Dortmund boss is not thinking of the past, and he revealed he is very confident in the new group of players he has as they get set for their season opener.
“Everyone has to step up,” the 56-year-old said. “The new leadership group and not only them. So if you look at the players who are not in the leadership group, but have all you need to be a leader. They’re absolutely exceptional.
“The new boys are great. Cody [Gakpo], Dominik [Szoboszlai], 22, captain of Hungary. Alexis [Mac Allister] outstanding. So these boys are out there as well.
“We all share responsibility. It’s not that we should give ourselves too much time to grow into it. Let’s do it. Let’s take responsibility and go from there. Don’t try to be like somebody, be the best version of yourself and you have a good chance to help the team in the best possible way. That’s exactly where we try to help the boys.”
Liverpool will travel to London this Sunday to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for their first game of the new season, and the tie is expected to be a blockbuster affair with the two clubs at loggerheads for the signature of young Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton and Hove Albion.
