Jürgen Klopp: We have the opportunity to say this is the real us

Jürgen Klopp wants Liverpool to use the opportunity to ‘show the real us’ – starting against Huddersfield Town at Anfield today.

The Reds suffered a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last time out and the manager knows his side must deliver a response.

Using his programme notes in ‘This is Anfied’, Klopp wrote: “Since our last game here [at Anfield] we've had two matches which could not have been more different in terms of how we felt at the conclusion. In Europe we enjoyed a fantastic night in Slovenia against Maribor.

“The performance I would say was as close to perfect as you could get. Of course the record scoreline makes that an easy statement to make, but it was the attitude and approach that really gave us, as coaches, joy and pleasure. We ran like devils, played tactically together and made really smart decisions. The result comes because of the quality of the performance.

“Unfortunately, reverse what I've just said and the outcome is the one we saw at Tottenham. I said afterwards that anyone who wanted to criticise us had a free swing, because we had to stand and take it. We were responsible for making ourselves targets for criticism. When you play as we did – make the mistakes we did, concede the goals we did – as people paid to perform we have to take the hits.

“Maybe our supporters, in this moment, don’t want to hear me say this, but I think the face we showed against Maribor is the truer reflection of what we are and where we are at as a team. I think we have the right attitude and approach as a team. I think we enjoy working hard and fighting for results. I think we have the highest quality in all sections of the pitch. But when we lose as we did in London no one wants to hear this.

“The best thing about league football, in particular, is that such a result and performance is damaging but it is not fatal. We have the time and the opportunity to make the Tottenham memory an unpleasant one, but one framed in the context of greater success this season. We have the power to make it just a single disappointment.

“I love that we have the opportunity – both today and for the remainder of the season – to prove that we are better than some currently think we are. We have the opportunity to say this is the real us, this is what we are.”

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