Jurgen Klopp was left to reflect on a “professional and mature performance” after Liverpool’s victory at Norwich. For the second season in three years, the Reds got their Premier League campaign up and running with a win by a three-goal margin against the newly-promoted Canaries. And while the display was some way from perfect, that will not trouble the Reds boss too much as he gears up for the next assignment against Burnley on Saturday. Jurgen Klopp has plenty of options to choose from at the back right now, but having kept a clean sheet in Norfolk on Saturday, the Reds boss might just stick with Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip at the heart of the defence. Klopp said of the returning Van Dijk
Jurgen Klopp said: “Nobody knows, not even himself, if he is at 90 percent or 95 fitness-wise for where you can be, but from a form point of view, it is different. Each game helps obviously and it really helps him. It was really good to see him on the pitch, especially when defending set-pieces, he looked really good. Offensive set-pieces, we have two monsters with Joel and Virgil, they are really good in the air. We scored from a second ball, I think Mo’s goal was a brilliant routine, really. We got the opponents in that area and finished it off, so yes, it was nice to have him back.”
Mohamed Salah became the first player to score in five successive opening weekends with his goal in the 3-0 win, but his all-round game was just as impressive.
Jurgen Klopp said: “I would have assumed he knew about [that stat] and wanted to score, Mo is Mo and when the competition starts he goes into the next gear because he is a proper competitive boy and that is good to have him.”