“Mohamed Salah’s Role Hasn’t Changed This Season, We Have Been More Static”: Jurgen Klopp On Liverpool’s Struggles

Liverpool haven’t had the best of start to the Premier League 2022-23 season. Placed 9th in the league standings with just 2 wins from 7 matches, the Reds have a lot to improve on if they are to challenge for the title in this campaign. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hasn’t been immune to criticism either despite being one of the biggest factors behind the club’s resurrection over the last few years. He was also asked about the under-fire forward Mohamed Salah who hasn’t been able to recreate his form from the last season.

Speaking to Sony Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the UEFA Champions League in India, Klopp admitted to the club’s struggles this season. He also spoke about the fan support Liverpool receives in India.

Question – Thank you so much for doing this. You’ve got huge support both you and the club over in India. Obviously, they’re not seeing the start to the season that anyone here or there wanted. But you know, how what have you made of it so far? Are you worried or concerned?

Answer– Sure, these are right words, but understand that nobody is thinking, wow, they are flying. That’s obvious. We had our problems, different problems, and so far, it’s definitely not the season we wanted to play. But you always have a chance for changing that. And our next opportunity to do that is obviously the Rangers game. And then tomorrow night, and yeah, that’s what we are trying to kind of stand house at. But don’t stop believing please in India, because I don’t stop believing. And that would be really helpful if we could, how many people live in India?

Interviewer: About a billion.

Klopp: Imagine that the power of 1 billion, that would be really helpful.

Question – Sumender Sanyal asks, has Mo Salah’s role changed at all this season? I think we’re seeing him in a wider position on the pitch.

Answer– Now, so the position not really changed and what he has to do hasn’t changed. It’s just how it always was when we don’t play our best football, then we have been too static. That means when we are static, that means it’s a bit more often outside wide. There are always moments where we have to be outside why but we need him as well, because of the goal is a bit more central, you need to be there as well. And so the observation is not wrong. But we work on flexibility in that area as well.

Question – Fair enough. In previous seasons, we pretty much knew what Liverpool starting 11 was going to be with a couple of tweaks here and there. But then more recently, because of injuries and other changes, it’s been harder for us to predict we think how much, how much is that hampered you? How difficult has that been for you?

Answer– That’s not part of the problem. We have a big squad now, we have a big squad back because there are a lot of injuries already early in the season, which is not helpful. Yeah, but that’s actually a rather strength I think I’m not sure that you could predict last year last season three two games in a row we had been rotate it like mad. So that’s probably a misjudgement. We changed! We changed a lot had to change a lot last season. This season. We couldn’t change it actually as much as we wanted, because players were not available but now they’re all coming back slowly but surely, and that will help us for the next few months.

Question – Kaustuk Pandey asks how pressing has evolved since you became Liverpool manager. Can you give us an insight into how you’ve tried to develop that particular aspect of the team’s play?

Answer– Wow what a question actually, I think the idea of pressing didn’t change it’s to put in your opponent under pressure how it says that you are can be dominant even when your opponent has the ball means you’re the only you only allow them to pass the ball by the way they believe them to space that means it’s we call it kind of traps where you can win the ball back then you have to do them plenty of different ways you can never can do it the same way but it’s never totally one play involved those extra holes the whole unit involved in the compact formation for the job. Can I explain it? Not in the time we have available but watch a few all the games from us then you see a few really good moments where you can understand how pressing has to look.

Question – and just finally after last season’s Champions League final there was so much excitement in India seeing you their disappointment at the end but then they really got behind the rallying cry that you’ll be back book your hotels for Istanbul we know that was with a pinch of salt but going into this Rangers game what sort of challenge Do you see them posing you and the competition in general this season?

Answer– Oh yeah, it’s a tough competition and we have a tough group here but we realized already our Nepalese obviously to stand out team in the moment in the group and in Italy maybe as well they were really flying. Ajax has sensational talented bunch of players and Rangers is new in the competition yes but we all know that after two results they had which I would say a rather normal because against Napoli is a tough cookie and playing at Ajax is really hard as well. So yeah, we expect them to be really strong tomorrow night and really fighting for result and that’s what we have to do as well and then we’ll see what the outcome will be but UCL groups were always difficult we never flew last year was okay well we went to the Group but the year before whenever we already we won the Champions League we I think we came on one wheel through the group with you and it’s possible so no, but he noticed that we have in the Champions League at the end of the year at the end of this campaign and I’m not too interested in the moment I just want to play the game tomorrow night get the best possible as well for us and then we’ll carry on from there.

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Very best of luck with that and thank you for talking to us

You’re welcome.