Jürgen Klopp met with the media for a press conference the morning of September 29th to discuss the Reds' upcoming match with Premier League foe Tottenham. The boss touched on a wide variety of topics including the challenges the club faced early in the season, the play of Dominik Szoboszlai and how the transfer of minority ownership may affect the club.
It's never too early to start looking at the EPL Table. Liverpool and Tottenham sit 2nd and 4th on the table respectively, setting up a huge early-season fixture.
“It's going to be a really tough test,” Klopp said. “We have not had an easy game yet. The away games have all been tough for different reasons. Tottenham is doing really well. They were desperate for more offensive football and he (Ange Postegoglu) has brought them that in a year when Harry Kane has left. They are a really well-set-up team. Exciting to watch.”
Klopp admitted that he is surprised at how fast Szoboszlai has gelled with his teammates and adapted to the rigours and challenges of Premier League play.
“I don't have a time frame for when I think it should be (that the team comes together), he said. “We had a good preseason and now we are getting results where recently in previous years things would have gone the other way. The potential is outstanding. I'm impressed with (Szoboszlai) as well. The boy is impressive, really smart He is a good lad. He is coming into a room and clicking with everybody. He was in the team in an instant and he was so happy to be here.”
Dynasty Equity recently purchased a minority stake in the club from Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, Klopp applauded the move, saying it puts Liverpool on even stronger ground financially, even though the Reds failed to qualify for the Champions League play for this season.
“We are in a year when we don't play in the Champions League which is a massive financial blow for a football club but we invested anyway, we improved the team anyway in the summer which is difficult but possible. But it's good news, it's money that will be well used,” Klopp said. “We already built another stand and the training ground, we bought back Melwood (the former first-team training ground), and a lot of stuff that keeps the club in a healthy state for a long, long time.”
I imagine Klopp has seen it all when it comes to football, but even he is surprised at how quickly Liverpool have come together to play excellent football. They will have to continue to do so when facing a Tottenham side that is also playing well. It is also good to hear that the boss is pleased with the financial investment being made in the club.