SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Liverpool's Klopp calls for cool heads before Everton clash

The fixture has produced more red cards - 20 - than any other since the Premier League began in 1992, but Klopp said he wanted his team to handle the emotions and pressure in a professional manner.

Liverpool's Klopp calls for cool heads before Everton clash
(Reuters)

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Skip to article content

The German is no stranger to city rivalries. He managed Borussia Dortmund during the fiercely contested Ruhr derby games against Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.

"Before I went to Dortmund there were lots of red cards in derbies. I don't want to see this. Not to show 'I am the man'," Klopp told reporters on Tuesday.

"Maybe one or two fans want to see stuff like this, but it will never help. I understand aggressiveness only in one way, and that is being prepared to hurt yourself, not somebody else."

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Liverpool face Villarreal in the semi-finals of the Europa League next week, but Klopp said his players had banished European ambitions from their minds and were concentrating on defeating their local rivals.

"Nobody in our dressing room is thinking about the Europa League," he said.

Liverpool are currently eight in the domestic standings, three places above Everton, and Klopp, who made 10 changes for their last game against Bournemouth, said he was not planning to save his best players for the semi-final first leg on April 28.

"We have a situation where we can change," he added. "We felt good before the Bournemouth game and it will be the same against Everton. No one will be rested.

"We have eight games, hopefully nine games to play. It makes no sense to push the same 11 players through all these games.

"It doesn't mean we have to rest players for two weeks. If somebody thought when they saw our line-up for Bournemouth that we didn't want to win the game, then it is the biggest misunderstanding in history.

"Liverpool is a very big club. It's a big difference between seventh or sixth or fifth (in the Premier League). We need to try everything to get the best position we can get. We could be fifth."

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru, editing by Larry King)


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world