Klopp hails 'Liverpool 2.0' and squad's 'new energy' after LASK win
Jurgen Klopp hails ‘Liverpool 2.0’ as he revels in Europa League comeback win against LASK and praises the ‘new energy’ of his players after difficult last season
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Jurgen Klopp says he is enjoying ‘Liverpool 2.0’ and is excited about the ongoing rebuild at the club, with the German boss hinting that the possibilities are endless after five wins from six games to start the season.
Liverpool opened their Europa League campaign with a 3-1 win at LASK in Linz, Austria on Thursday night and continued a 17-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. Four of the last five games have seen the Reds come from a goal behind to win three points.
And Klopp says Liverpool’s fighting spirit so far this season is only one glimpse of what his new-look team can be, with the Reds making four midfield signings this summer and seeing plenty of experienced professionals leave Anfield.
Asked if he was enjoying the rebuild, Klopp said: ‘Massively. From the first day since we got back, I have enjoyed it a lot. I was really excited about the rebuild, the new way, the new energy. We decided last year we had to change a lot.
‘But we wanted to change it for good, not because we have to. I am still excited. We are not stable yet, there are so many things not… but we are really good already. It’s a good start and nothing more.’
Jurgen Klopp is enjoying ‘Liverpool 2.0’ after a white-hot start to their 2023/24 campaign
Reds beat LASK in their first Europa league clash 3-1 after coming from behind to clinch win
Liverpool have shown fighting spirit in many matches already this season to win four games from behind. That already matches last season’s tally, in which they went 1-0 down in 21 matches but came back to win just four of those.
The most polished performance – and perhaps only one where they have not started poorly – this season was at home to Aston Villa, and Klopp added: ‘Aston Villa was a really, really, really good game, but then two weeks later (against Wolves) we played a really, really bad first half.
‘Nobody wants to see that but it’s part of the deal. When you want to change things you can’t expect everything to click from the first moment. If you expect that, you’re never happy with the steps you make. That’s important for development.
‘This was the new Liverpool, Liverpool 2.0! But this was only one glimpse of what we can be, we don’t know where we can end up. It was a really good sign we are at the moment going into the right direction and that’s really important.
‘The things we’ve been through already this season is pretty much what we’d go through in a full season, 38 games. Red cards, turning games – it’s not what you plan or want but we did it. It shows the boys are together in a manner we probably didn’t expect this early.’
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After a ‘bad’ first half against Wolves, Liverpool refreshed at half-time to come storming out of the gates in the 3-1 win
Jarell Quansah is now a fully-fledged first-team member after a loan spell at Bristol Rovers
The Reds host West Ham on Sunday and Klopp likes what he sees from David Moyes’ team, who have also gone through a rebuild this summer. The Hammers have won three of five games this term – only losing to champions Manchester City.
And Klopp added: ‘Even with Declan Rice out, they look really good – James Ward-Prowse is a super signing, Lucas Paqueta is a super player. They look solid. The league is extremely strong which is good for the people but it means we have to be the best version of ourselves.’
The manager also was asked about young defender Jarell Quansah, who made his first Liverpool start at Wolves last weekend. The 20-year-old spent time on loan at Bristol Rovers last term but is now a fully-fledged first-team member at Anfield after an impressive pre-season.
‘He’s in the right moment, right club,’ said Klopp. ‘He’s our boy, a fantastic boy. He played a super pre-season with us. And he deserved to start at Wolves. Some people may say it was a brave decision but I did not feel that. Ibou was ready-ish. Jarell was there and did really well.’
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