Team spirit more valuable than big names: Liverpool coach Klopp
Liverpool, July 16 (IANS) Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp is adamant that team spirit and not ‘big name’ signings is necessary to guarantee the Premier League football club back to the top of the standings next season.
The club has already spent more than 30 million pounds on winger Sadio Mane from Southampton as well as bringing in goalkeeper Loris Karius for 4.7 m pounds and defender Joel Matip on a free transfer.
But Klopp insisted that team spirit will prove to be a more precious commodity as he looks to improve on last season’s eighth place finish.
“Everyone expects big names and a big improvement because of big names and if you don’t know the players it’s like ‘what are we doing? what are they doing? Some clubs have already done a lot but you cannot prove in this moment what’s really right. What you have to do is prepare the new season,” Klopp was quoted as saying by Sky Sports on Friday.
“If you want to have proof of the different ways that football can work you only have to look at the European Championships. In the end it showed a lot. There were wonderful examples of what football really is – about building a team, creating a bond between the team, supporters and whole countries.”
The former Borussia Dortmund head coach said he is happy with the bunch of players before the start of the season.
“At the moment nobody thinks about the good games we played last season or the bad games. They only think Manchester United has taken this player or Manchester City have taken this player and we have taken ‘what is the name?’ and that is it. This moment for us it is about creating and building a team for next year. We have to prove our thoughts about the team works,” he said.
“I am 100 per cent happy with the guys we have brought in until now. We didn’t have to convince them that Liverpool is not as bad as everyone says, no,” Klopp added.
