A round-up of all the important stories related to Liverpool from the past few days as the Reds get set to welcome West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
Liverpool welcome West Bromwich Albion to Anfield this evening, but ahead of the clash we take a look at a roundup of the latest Reds’ news.
Let’s put a home run together, urges Clyne
Liverpool went on a belated start to the home campaign this season, with the redevelopment work at Anfield meaning the Reds were unable to play a home game until gameweek 4 in the Premier League. Their Anfield sojourn this season, though, began with a thumping 4-1 victory against champions Leicester City, followed by a 5-1 thrashing of Hull City.
A goalless stalemate against arch rivals Manchester United preceded the arrival of the Baggies on Saturday evening. And right back Nathaniel Clyne, who has featured in every league minute for the Reds this season, is hoping his club can turn Anfield into a fortress and put together a good home run throughout the campaign.
Clyne said: “At the start of the season, we were playing most of our games away and we were doing well. Now it’s a chance for us, with the Main Stand being finished, to put a run of games together at home and put some good displays on for the fans. We want to continue putting on good performances and try to get a good result against West Brom.”
We need to be angry against West Brom: Emre Can
Midfielder Emre Can, echoing Jurgen Klopp’s sentiments, said that the Reds need to play angrily, with a fire in their belly, when they host West Brom on Saturday evening. Klopp, in his pre-match press conference on Thursday, urged his players to be angry against the Baggies.
And as Liverpool look to stretch their unbeaten run to seven games, Emre Can maintained Klopp’s views to be angry and patient while approaching games against teams from the bottom half of the table. “It’s very important [to maintain the level of performance], last year we lost against teams who were a little bit down the table,” Can said. “We have to be angry before every game and we have to go into the game with confidence because we know our strengths. We have to keep playing like that and hopefully we’ll win the game.”
Klopp on Gomez return
Jurgen Klopp is ecstatic to see young defender Joe Gomez make a return to training this week and the Reds boss expressed his feelings on the Englishman’s comeback in his official matchday programme notes: “When he came back, for his first full session, the entire team broke into applause. No one had planned this, it just happened. I think this shows how he is regarded by his fellow professionals.”
Gomez made a return to the Melwood training ground earlier this week, after being sidelined by knee injury for more than a year. Klopp, though, stressed that patience is key as the youngster continues his rehabilitation, saying, “I don’t want to put pressure on Joe and I know that having had a full year out he requires lots more time to get back to the level where he is fully integrated. But he is so young and with a long career ahead of him, so there is no need for him to rush.”
Supporting the struggling Sturridge
Klopp, meanwhile, backed star striker Daniel Sturridge to make an emphatic return to form sooner rather than later, as the English striker continues to struggle for goals. Sturridge came under fire from critics and certain sections of fans as he failed to make an impact in a poor attacking display in the match against Manchester United in Monday’s goalless draw. Klopp, though, acknowledged that this is a frustrating period for the striker and extended his support for Sturridge, saying the current moment can stand him in good stead in the future.
Drawing comparisons with Robert Lewandowski and Gerd Muller, Klopp said: “It is a very useful moment in his career. A big name. [Robert] Lewandowski. There were times when he didn’t score. Gerd Müller. There were games he didn’t score. I still can’t believe it. Daniel is hard-working, he is fit, he is doing what all players have to do in the moments like this when it doesn’t quite go for you: keep working.”
