Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp addressed the media Tuesday night ahead of the Reds' pending Champions League clash with Napoli. During the presser, the boss discussed a variety of topics including the injury situation, the recent signing of Arthur Melo, and many others.
Of note, Klopp confirmed that Fabio Carvalho and Curtis Jones have been ruled out of action as they did not make the trip to Italy. Captain Jordan Henderson will also be out with a hamstring issue. The good news is that Thiago Alcantara made the trip and could possibly see some playing time for the first time since the opening match of the season.
“Thiago, back in training, second day today,” Klopp said. “It means he is ready; for how long, we will see.”
Reds supporters are excited to see Melo take the pitch for the first time in a Liverpool shirt, but Klopp cautions he is unlikely to see a full 90 minutes.
“He wasn't in team training for a while at Juventus, so he needs proper team training - and that's what we are doing with him,” Klopp said. “Can he play minutes? Yes. Should he play a full game? No, because he needs to get used to the intensity in each competition. It's not like in the Champions League you have to work less than in the Premier League. Not at all, especially not here. He is doing well, he is really giving his absolute all in training, we have to be careful with him as well and then we will see whether we can use him.”
In Liverpool's head-to-head against Napoli, they have also yet to win on Napoli's home pitch, but that does not seem to bother Klopp.
“Sure, we haven't won here, he said. “ We quite frequently qualified for the Champions League final after Napoli was with us in the group stage. But, who cares? How we say in Germany, I'm a late bloomer; I always need a little bit longer to achieve my stuff and that means sometimes I have to try two times, sometimes three times, sometimes four times - and Napoli [could be] four times, obviously. What do we have to do? Play better than in the previous three games, that would be very helpful because we didn't play particularly well when we came here. One reason is because Napoli are pretty strong.”
Just when there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel on the injury front for Liverpool, they are bitten once again. In addition to Carvalho and Jones, the captain Jordon Henderson will miss this match and possibly more. The Reds have a bevy of players who can fill his spot on the pitch, including new addition Arthur Melo, but they can't replace his experience, especially that of playing in Champions League matches
Klopp is not placing an over importance on this match, nor should he. He knows that winning the Champions League is a long, arduous process. While three points would be nice a draw, or even, the worst-case scenario, a loss will not derail Liverpool's hopes of lifting a trophy at the end of the cycle.
