Jurgen Klopp on Man City charges, Thiago major doubt for Everton clash, Jota in contention, Van Dijk update, Wolves response

Liverpool face Everton on Monday in the Merseyside derby but all is not well at Anfield.

The Reds are currently tenth in the Premier League and have crashed out of the FA Cup, while they also have several injury concerns.

Jurgen Klopp has had to deal with some difficult questions as the 2019/20 Premier League champions continue to slip further away from the top four.

Things all came to a head last week after a 3-0 defeat to Wolves, which left Liverpool winless in four league games, as the German refused to answer one journalist’s question.

And ahead of a huge clash against the reinvigorated Toffees, Klopp has discussed injuries, his side’s form, Sean Dyche’s appointment and Jordan Henderson.

Here’s every word from Klopp’s pre-match press conference.

Financial charges against Man City

“I have absolutely nothing to say about that.”

Injuries

“The players are back in training in different stages. Diogo (Jota) is the closest, trains now already for two days. Another three days of training and then he is in contention for the squad – I would say.

“Bobby (Roberto Firmino), next one but I don’t know. We will have to see how he deals with training intensity. Arthur similar. We have to see. Virgil (Van Dijk), I don’t think is that close, but we will work on that.

“Thiago has some problems with his hip flexor stuff like this, so he was not able to train.”

Dyche and Everton

“They are a very compact side. Very good on the counter-attack and set pieces will be very dangerous.

“And you could see that in the last game. It was good. Arsenal were dominant, but in the end, Everton had really good chances before they scored and they could have scored in other moments as well, so we prepare for the team we saw against Arsenal.

Response to Wolves defeat

“All the signs are there, but when I say that, I know people at home will say ‘yeah, but show it on Monday.’ We say the exact same – show it on Monday.

“But training, so far, has been really good. Aggression is there. Determination is there. Concentration is there. Focus is there. Intensity is there. So far, a really good week.”

The derby itself

“Intensity is an important part of the game. We will give them information ahead of the game. We know it’s a difficult game, Sean Dyche is there and has made an immediate impact. That is obvious.

“It was often like this that Everton could sort a lot of problems just by beating us, and for us, it was just another game we needed desperately three points. But now, we have to show a reaction and I know our people want to see that. I want to see that. We have to show that.

“This is not a time or situation we want to be in, but it is a time when we can show if we want to show, that the club is really special. The boys have delivered a lot of great moments.

“I really believe that the better you behave in your lower moments, the quicker you get in the better moments and the much more success you will have, and I am really looking forward to a derby atmosphere and to a proper, proper football game.

“It’s a very, very important game in our situation and in general.”

Dealing with the press

“In the best possible period, it’s very easy to have press conferences because you don’t ask important questions and we have a laugh together – it’s nice.

“When it’s not going well, you cannot explain the same mistakes in a similar way, so it’s really not easy and you (journalists) cannot deal with it because some of you make massive things from what I say.

“I have to be careful because I don’t want to do it and that’s why it’s so difficult to talk all the time.

“I can explain in football absolutely everything, but not to you, but we have another game coming up, which means we have the chance of a better result and a much easier press conference.”

Jordan Henderson’s absence

“That’s a lot (Klopp in response to finding out Henderson has started 91 times for club and country since the start of last season), absolutely.

“People don’t want to hear this kind of thing, but there must be reasons for a few things we have done this season. You don’t turn into bad people overnight.

“It’s not that we’ve lost the football brain and don’t know the game anymore. There are some physical things that are clear.

“This week, they all look incredibly fresh. That’s the truth. The training sessions have been really good. Super intense.

“So, 91 games (for Henderson) but the 92nd could be a really good one.

“I don’t understand why we talk about one player. Everyone knows how much I respect him but it’s not about one player. Henderson is not our problem, he never was and never will be.”

“When he is ready, and in good shape, he plays 98% of games or something like that. He played all these games because he’s a very, very important player for us. No other reason. When he’s not playing, you miss him. Easy as that.”

Days off after the Wolves defeat

“We played bad at Wolverhampton, and next day, we came in and had two days off. We spoke to each other and then gave them two days off because it’s a very long time between Saturday and Monday.

“Of course, I could have said, ‘Sunday training and then from Monday on, we go for them’.

“It wouldn’t have been helpful at all. It would have been bad. It would have caused injuries. It would have caused a lot of problems, and to be honest, after we spoke about everything, I thought it made sense if we didn’t see each other for two days and it was helpful.

“I left on Sunday in an average mood and came back in a good mood.”