Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool are ready to embrace their “emotional style” against Everton in Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
Jurgen Klopp said: “I never thought about those kinds of things, it is the right moment to play Everton, that’s how it is. We will be ready. We play the way we play. It is very emotional, but we always are emotional. That is our way to play. What the other team does, I have no influence. I have nothing to say about that. I can imagine after the first game you try to create some stories around that, but we are prepared for a football game – a derby – like we always did. Nobody can ever say this team was not ready for derbies from an attitude point of view, or from an understanding point of view. This team always was and will be tomorrow. There are stories around, but I have nothing to say.”
Klopp remains unbeaten in his near five-and-a-half years of Merseyside derbies and has won six of the seven matches against the local rivals at Anfield. Asked for some of his favourite memories of the fixture, Klopp gave a nod to winning goals from the likes of Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Curtis Jones.
Jurgen Klopp added: “I have a lot of favourite moments in derbies. I don’t want to mention them all now, but I had a lot. Sadio was involved. Divock was involved. Curtis was involved. There were a few. Of course, the derby is a derby without supporters, but with supporters it is just much more enjoyable. We all love when football becomes the most important thing for a few moments. This intensity I really like. The game is still intense. That’s normal. Other games are intense as well. Why should Liverpool v Everton be different? But absolutely everything is better with supporters, even the derby.”
