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Photo by RONNY HARTMANN/AFP via Getty Images
The manager says Liverpool will need togetherness to get through this difficult patch—and the fans must be a part of that.
A Liverpool side that came within two games of a historic quadruple that would have written them into the history books as one of the greatest club sides in the history of football has struggled massively to start the next season.
Injuries, an aging core, mental or physical exhaustion, tactical tweaks, new signings needing time to settle. Numerous reasons why have been proposed, but one thing seems clear and that’s that the situation only has a chance of improving in the short term if everyone sticks together.
“We know from our own experience that the best way through these periods is to stick together and to work even harder,” said manager Jürgen Klopp ahead of Tuesday night’s return to Champions League action against Rangers at Anfield.
“This is a team issue and not an individual one. I know there is always a fascination with how individual players perform, but I have been in football for long enough to know that the best way of getting individuals to play well is by getting the team to play well. Defenders are better when the team defends well, attackers are better when the team attacks well.
“This is why I always say everyone is responsible for everything. I know people outside of the club will focus on individuals but we will always concentrate on the collective and the things that we can do together that will allow us to improve.”
For Klopp, though, people outside refers to pundits and neutral fans. It doesn’t apply to Liverpool fans—and especially not to the supporters in the stadium. For the manager, those supporters are a key, and just like the players they will have a role to play if this group is to rediscover their feet and their form before it’s too late.
“I don’t know if this is a perfect formula but it is definitely the best one we have available and it hasn’t worked too badly for us up to now,” Klopp added. “This applies also to our supporters. They are very much part of our being together.
“The truth is this is a moment when we need them. We always need them, of course, but right now as we look to fight our way through a period that is testing us we need them as much as ever. They already know this, of course, so hopefully we can help them and they can help us.
“These are the occasions that should be enjoyed. We should never forget how hard it is to get to this stage, so when a tie like this one comes along we should do everything we possibly can to make the most of it.”
