Jota Klopp
Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool not to become obsessed with stopping Romelu Lukaku ahead of the Chelsea striker’s anticipated showdown against Virgil van Dijk. Lukaku netted in the Londoners’ 2-0 win at Arsenal last Sunday on his first appearance since returning to Stamford Bridge in a £97million deal earlier this month. The Belgium international’s head-to-head with Van Dijk has captured the imagination with Chelsea visiting Anfield in Saturday evening’s blockbusting clash. But Klopp believes Thomas Tuchel’s side have danger throughout the team and Van Dijk won’t be the only Liverpool defender targeted.
Jurgen Klopp said: “You can make whichever headline you want to write about Romelu and Virgil, but he will show up around the other centre-half as well I guess! If you saw the game against Arsenal, the two goals Chelsea scored, one was Reece James crossed to him and you could see how Arsenal tried to defend it and how he got rid of the centre-backs and got in the box for a pretty easy goal. The other goal from Reece was because the formation of Arsenal was really central (to deal with Lukaku) so Reece was completely free on the right inside the 18-yard box. If we are only focused on Romelu, then Kai (Havertz) and Mason (Mount) will punish you. That’s the situation. Last year, people very often spoke about Chelsea playing really well but didn’t finish enough situations off, and that was obviously the idea behind signing Romelu. Smart business. But the good thing about football is there’s no football you can’t defend at all.”
Klopp is likely to start with Joel Matip alongside Van Dijk in central defence, with Andy Robertson poised to replace Kostas Tsimikas at left-back. The returns of Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain mean there are a host of midfield options for the Reds boss, who will choose between Diogo Jota and Roberto Firmino to lead the line in the first game of the season between any of the four predicted Premier League title contenders. And of Chelsea,
Jurgen Klopp added: “What Thomas Tuchel did there was really good. The way they build up, the way they play is a clear structure but very flexible. They have width most of the time with the wing-backs and have players in the half-spaces with the double 10 or the double six. Very flexible players. And now a proper target player up front. It is a good football team, that’s why they won the Champions League. We are a good football team, now let’s play the game. We have had enough time to train and talk about it. We will show the boys – as we have been doing already – what we want to do to cause them problems because we shouldn’t ignore the fact that’s possible as well.”
Chelsea finished below Liverpool in the Premier League and scored 10 fewer goals, but won their second Champions League by beating Manchester City in the final. And Klopp believes the signing of Lukaku from Inter Milan means Tuchel’s side now offer a different kind of threat to the one that won 1-0 on their last visit to Anfield in March.
Jurgen Klopp said: “The closest was when Giroud played up front, still very different but it’s closer than when (Timo) Werner played up front. Romelu is a big fixed point. You can maybe find him on the wings at moments but it’s not that he will be there the majority of the time. He really wants to keep the centre-halves in the centre, have these challenges, have body contact, all these kind of things. Then you have wild running and really skilled boys around him, Mason Mount, probably Havertz but they have a lot of other options to start. Then there are the wing-backs which they always use, Reece James and either Chilwell or Alonso on the left side, and two very, very good midfielders – is it Kante and Jorginho, or Kovacic and Jorginho, or whoever? But if Romelu is playing, it’s a different kind of game. If you let them cross, each ball into the box is immediately a major problem probably. That’s how it was with Giroud as well.”
