Jürgen Klopp was forced to watch Liverpool's match with Southhampton from the stands instead of the tactical area, but that did not stop him from addressing the media after Liverpool's 3-1 Saturday. During the presser, the boss discussed what it was like watching the match from the stands, the James Milner milestone of 600 EPL appearances, Darwin Núñez, and a variety of other topics.
Even though Klopp was in the stands, Klopp appeared to be using technology to be in contact with his assistants throughout the match.
“It's not the first game I watched from there; not because I got a ban, but I've watched a lot of football games from the stands,” Klopp said. “The perspective is much better, it's still not my favourite place, but it was clear that would not be our problem today. It was not too cool that we only got the information yesterday.”
Klopp was obviously pleased with Núñez's brace today, but he also took the time to elabore on what the striker has meant to the club during the first part of the season and what the team, as a whole need to improve on in the second half,
“So, how we said, in the system we play Darwin has to defend the left wing,” Klopp said. “We cannot change that, but when he's offensive then it's only for balls in behind the wing [he] might be in position, but in all situations he has to be in the centre. That's where he was in that moment with the third goal as well…. The game was a little bit like this first part of the season - these 14 games. So, really, really good and then not so good and we know we have to improve that. We came through it now. I'm really happy about that. That's the basis we have now the World Cup [is] coming, I pray and hope that they all come back [fit].”
Liverpool were aware that Milner was close to history and they were determined to get him on the pitch.
“Today was a really big day for us as well as James because we knew it was 599 and there was actually no chance and no result where James wouldn't come on,” Klopp said. “I heard now he is only the fourth player [to do it]. There are a lot of things that [need to] come together: you must be a really good player, which obviously James is. He is very helpful for us still. He knows everything about the game because [with] the emotions he is not always using the right tools, but he can set the tone. He did that when he came on today and I am really pleased for him.”
Liverpool accomplished a lot today. Not only did they get a big 3 points, but James Milner also reached a remarkable record. Now after an up-and-down first part of the season, most players can relax and get refreshed over the next couple of weeks and come back stronger and more consistent. If they can do that, they may not be able to rise to the top of the table, but they can still make a push
