Jurgen Klopp believes that Manchester City did not see the best of Liverpool on Sunday and may face a tougher challenge when the rivals meet again in the semifinals of the FA Cup on Saturday.
The Liverpool manager made seven changes from a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium for the Champions League quarter-final rematch against Benfica on Wednesday as City survived a tough Atletico Madrid match, including a 12-minute break before reaching the semi-finals. finals. Klopp has argued that the contrast in training will improve Liverpool’s prospects at Wembley, but he expects an improvement from his team nonetheless, as he believes they failed in several departments in the Premier League match.
Klopp said: “We had it last week before we played with City. We had a visit [in Lisbon] and arrived home in the middle of the next day. The journey is intense, definitely. Will it give us an advantage? I have no idea.
“We’ll see. It was tense for both teams [on Wednesday]. City was really strong last week and we weren’t the best, so I’d like to see a game where we’re also the best. That would be interesting.
“The boys did a lot of good things in the game, but I really think that in several positions we are able to present ourselves on a completely different level and I think we should try. And this is a one-time Cup match. If it’s 2-2 again, it’s 120 minutes and if it stays that way, it’s penalties and it would be really crazy if you get to the end.
“I want to have 12 games from now until the end of the season and be in the finals. It’s hard, but it’s still the best schedule, because it means you’re in all the races as long as possible. I’m really looking forward to the game. Wembley is a big field, we have to cover a lot of grass and run a lot and fill big gaps, but I think it will be cool. ”
Liverpool have drawn with City at home and as a guest in the league this season. Photo: Paul Curry / Shutterstock
Diogo Jota is Liverpool’s only fitness concern, although Klopp expects the Portuguese international to recover from the blow against Benfica. Klopp admits that he and Pep Guardiola have made tactical changes to stifle each other in recent years, but not at the expense of quality entertainment.
“Over the years, you’ve noticed changes,” he said. “We have had several decent counterattacks in the past and then Pep decided that the full-backs could not get through. We did similar things, we try to deny them. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
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“There are crucial challenges in the game and you better win them, otherwise they are in a really good position. We lost a few easy balls in City’s game a few days ago and what they made of him was spectacular, as a counter in the first minute when Ali [Alisson] make a great save from [Raheem] sterling. It’s just good football, but the goals we scored were really good situations.
“It’s a really intense battle at a really high level. The levels of concentration that all the boys have to bring to the field are insane. When tactical things coincide, it can be tactically really interesting, but terribly boring for the neutral. This rarely happens in matches between City and Liverpool and it’s good for all the fans who watch. “
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