Jurgen Klopp got his headline in the end, with Liverpool’s mentality monsters responding at Villarreal to book a spot in the Champions League final!
Here are three key points from the boss after Liverpool booked their place in the Champions League final:
‘Feels like the first’
A third Champions League final with Liverpool is simply incredible, So how does it feel, Jurgen?
“Outstanding, massive, feels like the first because it’s always so special,” he said.
“For me, it’s the best club competition in the world, love it and love the sounds, the nights.
“We deserved it and that’s really cool. Massive from the boys.
“Before the game, I told the boys I’d like to read the headlines which is that the ‘mentality monsters were in town’.
“I wanted us to be from the first moment someone who goes for the win. Couldn’t see that, but the second half was like this.”
What a group of heroes.
The half-time talk
There can be no sugar coating the first-half performance, Liverpool were second best by some distance and a lot needed to change at half-time.
So what was said?
“The start was really difficult for us to take, we were obviously impressed by that,” Klopp explained.
“We had no real build-up, we didn’t play in the right spaces and then we kicked long balls somewhere and tried to force it.
“We just explained to the boys where we have to play, what we have to do, where we have to be stronger and move smarter.
“We didn’t move enough, front three were too fixed – we had to mix that up to cause them problems. We played in their hands.”
No story to tell over Jota
There were a number of changes Klopp could have made at half-time such was the performance, but it was only Luis Diaz for Diogo Jota.
The manager loved what he saw from the No. 23 but was quick to insist there should be no story over Jota’s withdrawal.
“He made a massive impact, but what I don’t about like is the next story is that Diogo Jota was our problem.
“He was not at all our problem in the first half, not a little bit!
“We had 11 problems in the first half, we just had to mix it up.”
Liverpool had 11 problems but Jota ain’t one.
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