Jurgen Klopp says he is enjoying a refreshed squad and is ‘excited about the new energy’ after a rebuild – with the Reds reharnessing the ‘mentality monsters’ spirit
- Jurgen Klopp has revealed his excitement at Liverpool’s rebuild and energy
- The Reds have regained their fighting spirit with four comeback wins in five
- Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp channel: receive the latest news and exclusive offers here
Jurgen Klopp has dubbed his team ‘Liverpool 2.0’ and says we have only seen a glimpse of how good his new side can be this season after a summer rebuild that saw four midfielders join and many experienced heads leave Anfield.
Liverpool have 13 points from 15 in the Premier League ahead of tomorrow’s match with West Ham, having started their Europa League campaign with a win over LASK in Linz on Thursday evening.
Although the performance in the first half in particular has not improved – they have won four times from behind – Klopp says he is enjoying his fresh team. “I was very enthusiastic about the reconstruction, the new way, the new energy,” said the German.
‘Last year we decided that we had to change a lot. We are not yet stable, there are so many things that are not (good)… but we are already very good. Aston Villa was a very, very, very good game, but two weeks later (against Wolves) we played a very, very, very bad first half.
Jurgen Klopp enjoys a refreshed Liverpool team and calls them ‘Liverpool 2.0’
The Reds have made a habit of coming from behind with four comeback wins this season
‘Nobody wants to see that, but it’s part of the deal. If you want to change things, you can’t expect everything to click from the first moment. This was the new Liverpool, Liverpool 2.0! But this was just a glimpse of what we can be, we don’t know where we might end up.”
Asked if this team is comparable to the self-styled ‘mentality monsters’ who won the Champions League and the Premier League, the Liverpool boss added: “When I said that sentence at the time, it wasn’t like I intended to .
‘I just remember watching a match and thinking, “Oh my God, how did they get back?” Mentality? That is something we will create. What we have now is a vote. This is an atmosphere we have created because the boys really enjoy playing with each other. It’s a close-knit group. It is early.’