- Liverpool host Manchester United at Anfield on Monday night
- Jurgen Klopp was appointed at Liverpool boss in October last year
- Klopp faced United twice in the Europa League last year with Liverpool
- Liverpool will wear a one-off shirt in association with Seeing Is Believing
Jurgen Klopp believes there is no better game to start his second year in charge of Liverpool as he called for Anfield to raise the roof for Manchester United’s visit.
It will be a year to the day on Monday since Klopp took charge of his first Liverpool game away to Tottenham, which ended in a 0-0 draw, and he hopes his squad can show how far they have progressed in the past 12 months when their most bitter rivals arrive on Merseyside.
Klopp, who was speaking at an event to mark the start of the Seeing Is Believing campaign which is promoted by their main sponsors Standard Chartered, had his appetite whetted for this fixture last season in the Premier League and the Europa League.
Liverpool were beaten 1-0 by a Wayne Rooney goal in January but they exacted revenge in the Europa League’s last 16 with a 2-0 first leg win at Anfield; they progressed to the quarter-finals after drawing 1-1 at Old Trafford.
This is a fixture that Klopp describes as ‘the salt in the soup’ and he hopes Monday will be a memorable occasion.
‘Both games were intense and competitive,’ said Klopp. ‘We were better in the first game at Anfield. We had a fantastic atmosphere and the players were inspired by that. It was my first time at Old Trafford for the second leg.
‘Maybe people don’t like to hear it, but there was actually quite a good atmosphere there too! It changed the game a little bit and it was real proof of what an atmosphere can do. United were on top but we killed that atmosphere with Philippe’s wonderful goal in the 45th minute.
‘From then on it wasn’t that difficult any more. We are really looking forward to what will be a fantastic game at Anfield. It’s a perfect moment for ‘Seeing is Believing’ because this game will have to be seen for people to believe what will happen.’
Klopp took part in a training session run by coaches from Liverpool’s Foundation programme and concluded it by taking a penalty blindfolded; the session was put on to give an idea of how those with sight disabilities can still play football.
‘I did a few things like this when I studied sports science,’ said Klopp. ‘I worked with handicapped people when I was quite young. Some couldn’t see or hear, and some had other issues. I am sensitive to this.
‘I worked in a hospital and taught wheelchair tennis. For a big part of my life I was really involved in things like this. Anything we can do to make life easier for people is fantastic. I had a similar situation when I played wheelchair tennis. I played it and then after the game I got up and walked away.
‘It’s like trying to take penalties with the blindfold on. You try it and think: ‘oh my God, it’s so difficult’. It makes you realise what others have to go through. It also makes you want to do everything you can to help people lead as normal a life as possible.’
The event was staged at Liverpool’s Academy in Kirkby. That was one of the first places the German visited after he was named manager in October 2015 but his schedule has prevented him going back to see a game there in the intervening period.
His commitment to promoting young footballers is not in any kind of doubt, though, and he insisted his preference would always be to promote from within and work on improving local talent rather than spending to buy a player of a similar level.
‘I can promise that before we sign a player who isn’t a lot better than what we already have we will always use our own boys,’ said Klopp. ‘That’s how the future should be, even in the crazy football transfer world. We want to be this special club.’
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