Congratulations on reaching this year’s Community Shield. After finishing last season on such a high with the Champions League title, it must have been an enjoyable summer for you personally?
The summer was great...to be honest I’m not the worst at making holiday. But I can tell you I’m not in the holiday mood any longer - and I’m also not in the Champions League mood now. As a team we can’t afford to be. Our focus has to be on what’s next. The next one. That’s our professional life but it’s also how it must be in this industry. Other teams don’t wait or stand still - so we must not. Our attitude has to be, what’s next? And that starts on Sunday.
What moments stand out for you from that night in Madrid?
I’m really sorry to disappoint you with these answers but for us, as a team, we cannot continue to talk about memories of last season - no matter how special. The new season is here now. New challenges, new obstacles, new experiences and new memories to be made. We don’t forget what happened at the end of last season - and it’s not about blocking it out or ignoring: it’s about making sure we look ahead and maximise everything that’s possible for us in the here and now. I say again, our opponents - our unbelievably strong opponents - do not stand still and we must not either.
How do you keep the standards so high once everyone is back for pre-season?
We do it by staying true to what got us here. We’ve achieved what we have so far by staying greedy and staying hungry. By remembering the most important game you play is always the next one. Also, simply being at Liverpool means you have constant reminders of why high standards are essential. But our biggest motivator is always each other - as a team I mean. We want to achieve so much together. We’re not ready to stop.
You’re up against your rivals for the Premier League title from last season, so we have the makings of a great game at Wembley…
Absolutely. They tell me the English phrase for this game is ‘curtain raiser’ and it’s some game to do that with. The games we played against each other in recent seasons have been of outstanding quality and outstandingly competitive. I think I’ve spoken many times about the respect and admiration for Man City and Pep. What they do there - wow. Honestly, as a football supporter, I love how they play. As a coach I can only admire. But we have our own qualities and I think we’ve shown we’re not bad. Yeah, cool game, two sets of unbelievably talented players who play the game in the best way possible. Nothing not to like.
What do you need to do to go that extra mile to win the title race this time around?
I say again - other teams don’t stand still. And I’m sure Pep would agree - anyone who thinks it’s only us and City is an idiot. Tottenham are world class and will be better. Arsenal, world class and better. Man United the same. Chelsea the same. Then the others kick on also. Leicester, Everton, West Ham... you know what, I could name the entire league. Trust me when I tell you if we are only as good as last season we’ll not get what we want. We must be better. And please, that doesn’t mean more points necessarily because that might not be possible. The league will be different, but we have to be better. We have to improve or be left behind. My players know this.
You can read the full interview with Jurgen Klopp in the match programme for the Shield, which will be available at Wembley on Sunday or you can order a copy online.
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