Jurgen Klopp following his side's win against Napoli : “UEFA probably thought they could continue the competition without Liverpool, but not yet.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was beaming with pride after his side secured their place in the Last 16 of the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Napoli.
Mohamed Salah scored the crucial goal for the Reds, which ensured they finished second in the group ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s side with a superior goals scored record.
Klopp told BT Sport: “Wow, what a game. I am not sure a manager could be prouder of a team than I am.
“The only good thing about the first game at Napoli was that we were our ugly brothers and it wasn’t us at all. Today, we had an opportunity to show more than we did in Italy and the boys played an outstanding game.
“The way we pressed them meant they had to change their game and they had no real key for us.”
Liverpool dominated throughout, but still had to rely on a close range Alisson save in stoppage time to deny their Italian visitors.
Klopp highlighted the importance of the stop: “Mo Salah scored an unbelievable goal and I have no idea how Alisson made a save like this, it was amazing.
“We could have scored more, but the last chance Sadio Mane had made no difference in the standings. It was wild and there were lots of counter attacks but we were ready for that. That is Anfield live and in colour.
“UEFA probably thought they could continue the competition without Liverpool, but not yet. I said if we went out, it wouldn’t have been tonight, it would have been in Napoli when we deserved to lose, but tonight we deserved to win.”
Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday as they welcome fierce rivals Manchester United to Anfield.
Klopp splashed out a record-breaking £67m to bring in the stopper from Roma during the summer. And the German admits the deal is looking like a bargain.
“If I knew Alisson was this good I would have paid double,” he said.
Napoli defender Faouzi Ghoulam spoke to Sky Sport after the Azzurri 1-0 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield Roado: “It wasn’t an easy game, they scored in the first half and we had to attack.
''It was the perfect game for us. We are so sorry because we played very well in the six games of the group stage.
''We missed a goal and that made the difference. We are out for only one goal. The season is not over, there are still many games in Serie A and Europa League.
''We are sorry for the fans and four ourselves. Everybody expected us to be eliminated easily but we fought hard and we only missed one goal.
''We struggled to create goal chances because of their pressing, we had a good chance but we didn’t make the most of it. It’s a pity”.
Alisson Becker: ''I know people expect me to be perfect, but it’s too early to say if I’m satisfied with how I’m playing.''
Liverpool's Alisson Becker says he is working hard to be the "perfect" keeper that people expect him to be after his £66.8m move from Roma in the summer.
The fee for the 26-year-old Brazil international was a world record until Chelsea paid Athletic Bilbao £71m for Kepa Arrizabalaga.
"I came here for a high price and some people expect to me to be perfect," said Alisson.
"It is not easy but I'm trying. I'm working to be better."
Alisson is in his country's squad to play Uruguay at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.
Alisson, 26, has kept eight clean sheets in his 16 games for Liverpool and has helped them concede just five goals in their opening 12 Premier League matches.
But he was caught out when trying a trick against Leicester as he conceded one of the five top-flight goals he has let in, although the Reds still won the game 2-1.
"It is really early to say if I'm satisfied with how I'm playing but I'm working to be perfect," he added.
"I am really happy with my move to the Premier League. I'm working really hard to help Liverpool to achieve their goals.
"The Premier League has great intensity, you have to be really focused all the time.
"One thing that is important here is the concentration and focus. They are asking me to be really mentally strong.
"My team have a really great defence so it is not often the ball comes near my net but I have one or two opportunities to show my quality, so I need to be focused all the time."
Virgil van Dijk: “Manchester City are not going to win every game 5-0 and are going to have tough games like everyone else.
Virgil van Dijk is remaining grounded after Liverpool beat Fulham 2-0 at Anfield, as he maintained his domineering presence off the pitch and was voted by his peers to be the club’s third captain after Jordan Henderson and James Milner.
Mohamed Salah and Xherdan Shaqiri put Fulham to the sword with goals in either half to maintain Liverpool’s unbeaten run in the Premier League this season.
The Reds now sit second behind leaders Manchester City, but van Dijk, who captained his side at the weekend, knows there’s still a lot of football to be played throughout this campaign.
“That is something we still need to see,” said van Dijk, when asked if Liverpool were title contenders. “[City] are the champions and the best team in the league but we will try everything to be as good as we can.
“We don’t have to look at others, we want to look at the games we have and the next challenge we have as Liverpool is Watford away, which is going to be tough.
“The season is very long. [City] are not going to win every game 5-0 and are going to have tough games like everyone else.
“We can be very positive about that [clean sheet]. It was very important, especially second half, to keep it tight at the back and I’m glad we did.
“It was an important win, especially before the international break I think and especially after the defeat we had in the Champions League.
“We won and showed some good football, especially in the second half. It was a scrappy game but we kept a clean sheet and won, so it’s a good feeling.
“I am just enjoying playing for Liverpool, it doesn’t really matter who is standing next to me.
“I am happy to be out there; we have great centre-backs and even Joel [Matip] is not even on the bench and that says a lot about our squad as well.
“Me and Joe [Gomez] are getting along really well outside the pitch and that helps on the pitch as well. We are winning games so we are doing pretty well and have made a better start than last season.”
One revelation for Jurgen Klopp’s side has been the signing of Xherdan Shaqiri, who joined for only £13.5m. "He's been playing well," the Liverpool defender added.
"He is working hard like everyone else and when he gets his chance he is doing well.
"He scored but he's been pretty important the last couple of games he's been involved, which is good for all of us.
"Shaqiri is a guy with different qualities and - with his left foot - he is always dangerous."
That clean sheet was a remarkable seventh of the season for the Reds after twelve games played in the league, and their total tally of conceded goals, five, is their best since the beginning of the Premier League era.
But the former Celtic and Saints man was not keen to be drawn on who his prefered partner at the heart of the Reds defence us.
“I just enjoying playing for Liverpool, it doesn't really matter who is standing next to me,” he said. “I am happy to be out there; we have great centre-backs and even Joel is not even on the bench and that says a lot about our squad as well.”
Although he added a note on the success of his dovetailing with Joe Gomez, who has improved markedly under his tutelage: “Me and Joe are getting along really well outside the pitch and that helps on the pitch as well.”
Klopp admits politics was influential in his decision of leaving Xherdan at home for their Champions League trip to Red Star Belgrade.
Jurgen Klopp claimed "politics always has an influence on life" following Liverpool's decision to leave Xherdan Shaqiri at home for their Champions League trip to Red Star Belgrade.
Shaqiri was born in Kosovo, is of Kosovan-Albanian heritage and represents Switzerland at international level, having emigrated there as a child.
The 27-year-old caused controversy at the World Cup this summer by making a 'double-headed eagle' gesture after scoring a late winner against Serbia.
Shaqiri was fined by Fifa for making the gesture, which was intended to resemble the symbol on the flag of Albania.
Shaqiri could have expected a hostile reception from the Rajko Mitić Stadium had he travelled but Klopp elected to omit the winger from his squad.
At his pre-match press conference in Belgrade, Klopp rarely strayed far from his statement to the club's website published on Monday morning.
The Liverpool manager admitted, however, that politics influence all parts of life and said Shaqiri had been left at home in the hope that only football would be the story.
"My job and your job as well is not to do questions which provoke a kind of answer. We need to cool the situation down," he said.
"We cannot clarify that situation tonight and it's not our job. We are in Serbia, we respect that 100 per cent. That's the world, how it is.
"Politics always has always influence on life, on the life I live at least, and that's how it is. But we are not here for that, we are here to play football.
"We tried to make sure we can be focused on football. I realise tonight already, I expected it differently but most of the English-speaking journalists were asking about it to be honest.
"It could have been a story but we didn't want to have a story besides a football story. That's why we decided what we decided."
Tensions between the Albanian and Serbian populations within Kosovo have long existed and led in part to the Kosovo War in the late 1990s.
Albania and Serbia fought on opposing sides of the conflict and, despite Kosovo declaring independence in 2008, Serbia does not fully recognise the province as a state.
Liverpool Veteran Defender Jamie Carragher has reveals "The only chance" Liverpool have over Manchester city in the title race.
Liverpool's draw with Arsenal was discussed during the build up to Huddersfield's game against Fulham and Carragher delivered a pragmatic point about supporters complaining about the dropped points:
The former Reds defender says it is important the Reds don't panic when they fall behind Manchester City in the title race, as they did at the weekend
Jamie Carragher says Liverpool can't afford to panic in the title race, but thinks the Reds only have one chance of finishing above Manchester City.
Liverpool slipped below City and down to third in the table over the weekend when they drew at Arsenal and both City and Chelsea won significantly kinder fixtures at home to Southampton and Crystal Palace respectively.
Jurgen Klopp's men are still unbeaten in the league this season, but Carragher says they might have to wait until the New Year to gain an advantage over City as they seek to overhaul them.
"It will have been disappointing for Liverpool to concede that goal (to Arsenal)," said Carragher on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football coverage of Huddersfield versus Fulham.
"But I think Liverpool supporters, myself included obviously, need to just relax a little bit. You'd think Liverpool had lost the league after the game at the weekend because it's "ah it's two points dropped! Man City are going two points clear! There's a long way to go.
"Man City are better than Liverpool, everyone knows that. But that doesn't mean Liverpool can't win the league.
"I think Liverpool's hope of winning the league will come in the second half of the season if City go far in the Champions League.
"Their focus will be on that and then they might take their eye off the ball in the league.
"That's the only chance Liverpool have got because City are better than them."
Both sides are in European action this week with Liverpool facing Red Star Belgrade in the Serbian capital on Tuesday, and City hosting Shakhtar Donetsk a day later.
They then return to the Premier League on Sunday when Liverpool play host to struggling Fulham and City face a Manchester derby showdown with neighbours Manchester United.
Sadio Mane has identified who to be blame for Liverpool's defensive record break.
Liverpool forward Sadio Mane said he was partly to blame after the Reds gave up their clean sheet record against Cardiff City.
Jurgen Klopp’s side were 2-0 up and in completely control until Callum Paterson got the Bluebirds back in it with ten minutes left at Anfield. It was the first time Liverpool had conceded at home since February 24th and the first time in 918 minutes.
The Reds were desperate to make it to the 1000-minute mark and many supporters blamed Alberto Moreno for Cardiff’s goal.
And Mane, who scored twice in the 4-1 victory, says him being out of position was partly the reason for the Reds' defences being breached.
"A team like this are never easy to play, sometimes you have to be patient, try not to lose the ball. At the end we scored four goals and deserved to win," Mane told the BBC.
"I think we conceded because we lacked communication, Normally I am with Alberto [Moreno] on the left but I was in midfield and 1-1 it is not easy for Moreno.
"That is part of football, we will try to learn from that."
Moreno was a surprise inclusion in today's starting line-up as Jurgen Klopp opted to leave out Andrew Robertson.
Liverpool’s win means they’re back on top of the Premier League table ahead of Manchester City’s trip to Spurs on Monday night.
Naby Keita: ''I am going to work really hard to leave my own mark like Steven Gerrard did''.
When Liverpool signed Naby Keita from Leipzig, on the proviso that he would remain in the Bundesliga for another year, fans were allowed the deep sigh of relief that rounded out a dramatic transfer saga.There was an automatic assumption that Keita would hit the ground running as a result of scintillating Bundesliga form.
But since then, he’s gone a little stale, putting in average performances and picking up niggling injuries. At the moment, he’s not available for our next couple of fixtures due to a hamstring issue picked up on international duty.
Keita though is not worried and has spoken excellently about what he must do to fulfil his talent. Namely, learning English!
“You see the number eight is really legendary and to wear this shirt now it is legendary,” Keita told Sky Sports. “It used to belong to a player who was a legend, that was respected here.
“When I was a child, that really was in my mind, to play for a great club like Liverpool. Well here I am now, I don’t mean I’m not going to be like him because each of us are individuals.
“He left his own mark, I want to leave my own mark, I am going to work really hard to leave my own mark like he did. To play for Liverpool, that is a dream I had as a child and here I am now.
“I am following a course, I am really motivated to speak English, it is really important for me,” he added. “I want to be able to speak to the coach, I want to speak to the other players on the team and I am really working hard.
“I am hoping in six months I will be able to do these interviews in English.
“I find the scouse accent a bit difficult but I will try my best [to learn some]. I do not know any scouse, I have been trying to speak English I have not been able to learn any scouse yet.”
His tendency to dribble with the ball belies an urgency in his play to always move forwards. Not enough credit is given to how he’s able to mastermind a counter-attack; he can be the one to start the move and the one to give the final assist.
Daniel Sturridge wins Standard Chartered Player of the Month for September.
The striker scored three times in four appearances, two of which were starts, to top the fan poll ahead of second-placed Virgil van Dijk and James Milner in third.
Upon being presented with his Player of the Month award at Melwood, Sturridge told Liverpoolfc.com: “It’s good, it’s a good achievement. It was a good month for myself, I felt like I contributed to the team.
“I feel like we didn’t get all the results we would’ve liked to have got, but it was a decent month.”
When asked what his favourite moment of the month was, it came as little surprise when he chose his late strike against his former club.
“Yeah, I think probably with the stage of the game and the time that it was,” the England international said.
“It was a game where we kind of wanted to get a point at least, and it felt as if we deserved it, so it was good to contribute and help the team get a point which I think we deserved.”
When asked about the season ahead, Sturridge was positive and highlighted the strength in depth as their key for success.
The No.15 continued: “Of course. We’ve got a very strong squad, every position from back to front, so as long as we all keep pushing ourselves in training and giving the manager opportunities to choose whichever team is necessary depending on the opposition, it’s important for us.
“I think that over the course of the season, the strength in depth is what’s going to allow us to be successful.”
''Mohammed Salah is still influencing the game for us, says Alexander-Arnold
Mohamed Salah is still proving influential for Liverpool despite the Egypt star struggling to match last season's remarkable goalscoring feats in the early stages of this campaign, says team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Salah hit 44 goals in all competitions in his debut season for the Reds after joining from Roma, but has been less effective in the early weeks of 2018-19.
The forward, who sustained a shoulder injury in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, has only scored once since August.
But Alexander-Arnold feels expectation levels placed on the 26-year-old, last season's Golden Boot winner in the Premier League, are unfair as Liverpool aim to compete on multiple fronts.
"He's had a record-breaking season so it was always going to be tough to do that again," Alexander-Arnold told Omnisport.
"But I think he's still showing that he's got a lot of talent and he's still influencing the game for us. And he's still showing how good he is on the pitch.
"It's just about keeping the momentum going and it doesn't matter whether it's Champions League or Premier League, or whatever trophy you're going for, you've got to focus on the opponent that lies ahead.
"No matter what the competition is we're not going to take it easy, we're going to fight for it and try and win as much silverware as we can."
After being dropped for Sunday's 0-0 draw at home to Premier League title rivals Manchester City, Alexander-Arnold will link up with England for a Nations League double-header against Croatia and Spain.
The defender capped a breakthrough season at club level by being named in Gareth Southgate's squad for the World Cup, although he only made one appearance as the Three Lions reached the last four.
"We were disappointed with getting beaten in the semis [by Croatia], we wanted to reach the final and even win the tournament," the Liverpool full-back added.
"That's the aim now to keep pushing forward and keep working hard and hopefully in two years' time at the Euros we'll be able to go a couple of steps further."
Liverpool Jürgen Klopp takes blame for Napoli defeat.
Jürgen Klopp said he was at fault for Liverpool’s surprise defeat by Napoli on a night when his team “did not perform” in the Champions League.
Liverpool were deservedly beaten by Lorenzo Insigne’s 90th-minute goal for Carlo Ancelotti’s side having produced an error-strewn and passive display at Stadio San Paolo. Last season’s finalists also lost Naby Keïta to a back injury in the 19th minute.
The £52.75m midfielder was taken to hospital as a precaution but is expected to travel back to Merseyside with the Liverpool squad on Thursday. “It is his back,” Klopp said. “I don’t know what exactly. We have to wait.”
The Liverpool manager was also in the dark over the reasons for his team’s uncharacteristic performance in the Champions League, which left them level on points with Paris Saint-Germain in Group C.
“The start of the game was OK,” he said. “Then the timing for our defensive movements were not good enough, we didn’t close the spaces in the right moment, we didn’t react in the right situation and so they could play through our formation.
“Things like this happen but not as often as they did tonight and it costs energy. We had to fight really hard. Then when you have the ball you have to play much calmer.
“I have to accept that a big part of that performance was my fault for sure but I need at least one night to watch it again and see exactly what was the fault, but it was not like it should have looked.”
Klopp refused to blame an intense sequence of fixtures for his team’s subdued display and insisted there would be no repeat when Manchester City visit Anfield in the Premier League on Sunday.
“It is absolutely intense since the last international break. We cannot change that so we have to make sure we are ready. You were all full praise of our season and then tonight we didn’t perform. That happens.
“We don’t have to think about intensity. We have three days to recover and then we will face Man City. It would’ve been difficult any way at any time of the season, it is always difficult.
“Let’s have a look how the players are after the game and then we will prepare. Then we have our crowd at our backs. Tonight you could see Napoli used the atmosphere and we couldn’t calm it down but on Sunday it will be 100% different.”
Liverpool Wijnaldum to Mohammed Salah: “I’ve told Mo, that he’s got to get more hat-tricks. He’s had enough of scoring twos, he has to get three.”
Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has backed under-firing Mohamed Salah to deal with the pressure he is facing.
The Egypt international scored 44 times in his maiden season at the club but has not looked close to replicating that form this time around.
He has scored three goals so far, only one fewer than at the same stage 12 months ago when he did not really begin his scoring spree until this time of the season.
Wijnaldum said they had been teasing Salah about his supposed struggles, jokingly telling him he has to score more.
“I said ‘Mo, it’s not only one year’ and he said ‘You’re right!’,” he said, ahead of the Champions League tie against Napoli in Italy.
“We were joking but if someone can deal with pressure, it is Mo.
“Last season he had pressure when people were saying he had to be the top scorer of the league.
“We told him he couldn’t let anyone catch him. When he was on 18 goals, he said ‘In my head, I can get 32’.
“Mo is not someone that is scared of pressure. He embraces the pressure. He knows that he can do it.”
Klopp has already said no-one at the club expects Salah to reproduce his amazing form this season and Wijnaldum says the players all support him.
The Dutchman said the forward had contributed more to the season than just goals.
“It’s easy to say ‘Now we have Mo, we are used to him scoring goals’,” he added.
“Maybe last season he didn’t have some good games but he always scored goals and people see that and they say ‘Ah! He played good!’.
“But now he is not scoring and people are saying he is in a difficult situation. I don’t see it that way.
“He still works hard, he still creates chances. I think against Chelsea, he had three chances where he could score a goal. He could have given an assist to Roberto.
“I don’t think it’s that bad, put it that way.
“I’ve told him that he’s got to get more hat-tricks. He’s had enough of scoring twos, he has to get three.
“I told him ‘Mo, you are a top player; if you look at Messi and Ronaldo, they score a lot of hat-tricks – you have to do the same if you want to compete with them’.”
Jamie Carragher: “Salah is not in a great form, but I don’t really think he’s in bad form either,”
Jamie Carragher has insisted that he is not worried about Mohamed Salah recent form after a less impressive start this season compared to his debut season with the Reds.
Mohamed Salah failed so far in finding the stunning form that helped him win multiple awards last season despite scoring three goals and developing two assists in seven Premier League games with Liverpool so far.
Salah ended his first campaign with Liverpool having netted 44 goals and laid on a further 16 in 52 appearances, earning a slew of end-of-season awards.
This term, however, he is yet to hit such prolific form, despite still averaging a direct goal contribution every 134.4 minutes in all competitions.
Carragher, speaking as part of Sky Sports‘ Monday Night Football analysis, argued that while he is not yet performing at the same level as last season, he is still proving effective.
“He’s not in great form, but I don’t really think he’s in bad form either,” he said.
“I think a little bit too much has probably been made of Salah’s form. He is only one goal down on last season.
“I hope Klopp is saying this to him about the goals he scored last season: if he doesn’t get over 40 goals, it doesn’t mean he’s had a bad season.
“Ian Rush was Liverpool’s greatest ever goalscorer and he only got 47 in one season. He never got 47 again, he would score 25 or 30 goals a season.
“If Salah gets 25 goals a season then he’s had a great season.”
Carragher’s Rush comparison is an interesting one, and he raises a valid point in that the Egyptian should not be finding the back of the net with such freakish regularity.
Further reinforcing his argument, the ex-Liverpool defender used the statistic that Salah has tallied more expected goals (xG) than any other player in the Premier League, with 5.34.
Though he has clearly scored fewer than expected, Carragher believes that he is finding these openings suggests he will return to top form soon enough.
“He’s scored three goals which is not a million miles away from what it was last season and it’s not a bad start,” he added.
“The Expected Goals shows you he is still getting a lot of chances. We know from last season that he misses chances. Even though he scored a lot of goals, he misses big chances.
“That lad will always score goals because he still makes the runs in the right positions.
“I’ve got no problem with how many goals he’s scored or what he’s like around the box. He is doing OK.”
It is refreshing to hear measured, quantifiable analysis of Salah’s form, with Carragher’s take contradicting the subtle narrative built by TV producers and pundits alike.
Particularly given Liverpool’s improvement in defence, and the contributions of other forwards, his assertion that “if Salah gets 25 goals a season then he’s had a great season” may prove to be correct.
Another person who push hard in defences of the winger's recent form, is his teammate Virgil Van Djik as he insisted: “We are seven games in and Mo’s working hard. He’s still the same Mo, and he needs a bit of luck as well.
''I’m not worried at all, and he should not be worried either. We do it all together, we’ll always be there for him and he’ll deliver as well.
''He had a tough game against Chelsea, but it’s part of football,” Virgil van Dijk told the media.
