The Liverpool manager discusses his expectations for his first return to Kenilworth Road, the reason Darwin Nunez is back at home on Merseyside, and the key to his team’s recent success with Sky Sports. On Sunday, watch the live Premier League match between Luton and Liverpool starting at 4 p.m.; kickoff is at 4.30 p.m.
Juergen Klopp reclines in his chair and laughs in a characteristic way. “I’m not sure if he’s the most exciting, he’s very exciting, definitely!”
Darwin Nunez is the topic of conversation as we sit down at Liverpool’s training facility. It’s difficult to determine where the dynamic Uruguayan stands in terms of Premier League excitement, much like many other aspects of his game. But when he puts it all together, there’s no denying that this athlete has significant skill.
Nunez’s spectacular goal to win Wednesday’s Carabao Cup match against Bournemouth was the epitome of his somewhat tumultuous debut for Liverpool. When he mishandled a long pass, the home crowd cheered ironically. But when he went and collected it, moved inside his marker, and blasted a shot past the goalkeeper and in, they were hushed.
Nunez has three goals in his last three games, having contributed an assist in the previous two. Despite only scoring three of his ten clear-cut chances in the Premier League, he has the best goal involvement rate of any player with nine appearances in the tournament this year. That’s a quality in him that we can measure.
However, following a mixed first season, it’s the intangible relationships that exist behind the scenes that have allowed him the opportunity to shine. Among the group, he has friends Luis Diaz, Alisson, and Alexis Mac Allister, and he is close to the Spanish and Portuguese speakers. But after a year in the Northwest and some improvement in his English, the South American attacker is starting to feel more at home.
“It’s really nice to see how he settles now as a boy,” Klopp says. “The gamer is actually a settled human being. ‘Good morning!’ as I enter. He starts talking about English.
“For him, it’s very different. It’s challenging. These days, when you pay X, Y, or Z for a player, everyone expects them to start playing right away, but that’s obviously not the case. particularly when speaking a foreign language. Thus, it’s been a pleasure to observe him throughout the week.
“Nobody disputed his promise as a player, but there were some bumps in the road. But now that he’s here, it’s wonderful. Working with him is a pleasure because he enjoys working hard and training. Although he is not like some other strikers, he offers you a lot of possibilities.”
Although Klopp has had plenty of choices this season, it has been noteworthy how his team has managed to produce distinctly Liverpool performances in a variety of competitions thus far, even with rotations. This cannot be stated for certain of their competitors.
The manager of Liverpool attributes his team’s success in the Premier League, Europa League, and Carabao Cup to their preseason preparation. He spent as much time as possible communicating his message to this new group of players, keen to get past what he calls a “horrible” 2022–23 campaign.
“Everyone returned early this year,” says Klopp. “‘We can’t give you another week here or there,’ I told the boys. Everyone tried to make things right, and they were all OK. The important point is that it meant we could provide the same information to every player.
“We handled the wounds well. Naturally, Thiago, Robbo [Andy Robertson] is a huge miss. It would have already given Conor [Bradley] a lot of minutes. But things are good for now. You should perform if you join with Liverpool as a good player and have adequate time to prepare and recover in between games.”
Players from Liverpool’s academy have been able to enter and seize their opportunities in this setting. There has been a reorganization following the departure of key players like Fabinho, Roberto Firmino, and former captain Jordan Henderson in the summer, and the addition of an almost entirely new midfield.
From then on, players such as Jarell Quansah, a 20-year-old center back, have been allowed to step up and flourish, much like he did during the crazy and rainy midweek weather at Bournemouth.
Klopp states, “The group is a completely new set-up.” “Many of our senior players, who were crucial to our success and without whom nothing would have happened, are no longer with us. We reorganized the entire group such that the very young are merely the younger guys, the middle-aged guys are the older people, and the young guys are the middle-aged guys.
“Since everyone was in the position two years prior, they are all very willing to lend a hand to the younger players.” Despite being out for a few weeks, [Ben] Doak is not treated like a kid by the other players. He receives the same yell as a trainee who is thirty years old. That’s a respectful gesture. Everybody has that. James McConnell, Calum Scanlon, and Luke Chambers. There’s a tremendously talented young group emerging, and Jarell performed admirably at Bournemouth against a Premier League team despite challenging conditions.”
Without a doubt, Klopp’s expertise in the game offers those young players invaluable instruction as well. On Sunday, however, the 56-year-old will embark on a novel journey of his own as he visits Kenilworth Road in Luton for the first time.
While the away fans’ entrance has gone viral on social media (“I’m pretty sure our people will love that!”), Klopp is looking forward to this away day even if it will be different from many of the Premier League’s more contemporary, opulent stadiums.
“I’m very excited about it,” he says, grinning once more. “Going to an old stadium as a supporter makes it slightly different because you think, ‘My god, it feels like the Premier League 10, 15 years or whatever ago.'” Yet, we are facing the changing area. We filled it all in and then said, “Okay, I can’t turn!”
It’s probably not that big, but it doesn’t matter. It will be possible to get dressed up, put on the shirt, and head to a Premier League match.
“They have our utmost regard, and their actions from the previous year were admirable. I really appreciated how calmly they handled the matter this time around. They still like it while knowing it’s a huge challenge, and they’ll take advantage of any opportunity to get points. We must ensure that it won’t occur on Sunday.”
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