LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 19, 2022: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp punches the air as he celebrates with the supporters after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Norwich City FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 3-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Jurgen Klopp calls to forget Liverpool’s ‘what ifs’ and simply live in the moment

Talk of what Liverpool could achieve this season is rife but while many ponder the ‘What ifs’ that lay ahead, Jurgen Klopp has urged Reds to live only in the moment.

The Reds have the first trophy of the season under their belt and remain in the hunt for three more, leading to inevitable talk over a historic quadruple.

There is plenty of work to be undertaken before that can become a reality and while no doubt a dream, Liverpool can ill afford to take their eye off the here and now.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 23, 2022: Liverpool's Joel Matip (C) celebrates with team-mates after scoring the second goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Leeds United FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 6-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Ambition is what drives this team but in his programme notes ahead of West Ham‘s visit, only one of two teams to inflict defeat on Liverpool this season, Klopp was eager to stress a one-game mentality and his own ‘What if’:

“I’m worried my programme notes could become even more repetitive than normal in the coming weeks and months, with one message, in particular, being resounding. The only game of our season that matters is the next one.

“All that matters today is today. Yesterday is merely information and tomorrow we think about when it arrives. In football terms, of course.

“I think during my time managing in England one of the things that strikes me most is how much focus there is on what ‘could’ be achieved while you are still in the process of trying to do it. We speak so much about the ‘what ifs’.

“I have my own ‘what if’… What if we just try to enjoy being in every moment. Focus entirely on the now.

“Rather than thinking about the implications a result could have for something else further down the track, we just attack the match right in front of us. Immerse ourselves in it completely.

“It has to be our mindset internally and the good news for me is that the players and staff at the AXA Training Centre are already there.

“We prepare each game like it is a final. Honestly, that’s what we do. Yes, this period we are in is incredibly intense in terms of the sheer number of fixtures.

“Incidentally, we hope that doesn’t change between now and May. We don’t want it to. The more packed the calendar is at this stage, the more you have to play for.”

It’s certainly easy to get swept up in looking ahead but what we are witnessing each and every week is greatness in action, a special time in the club’s history.

Soak it up, relish it and enjoy the ride that lay ahead from now until the end of the season… one game at a time.


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