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Liverpool news: Jurgen Klopp wants Spurs revenge but admits the challenge facing Reds
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that his side return to Tottenham wanting to show their “real strength” and admits they cannot afford to produce anything less than their best performance.
Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp hits back at Gary Neville comments
The Reds were thrashed 4-1 in the same fixture last season having been 2-0 down inside 12 minutes with Dejan Lovren hooked after just half-an-hour after his role in both goals.
That was a rare blip on Klopp’s copybook at Anfield and one of just three Premier League matches from a total of 110 in which they have leaked four or more goals.
But the Merseyside outfit return to Wembley today (12.30pm) boasting the meanest defence in the league after four matches, having conceded just once across four victories with Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez forming a solid partnership while Lovren is out injured.
Their trip to London is undoubtedly a far tougher test than their previous outings, however, even though Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs lost to Watford last time out and are missing key duo Hugo Lloris and Dele Alli.
And Klopp wants his side to show how good a side they really are to prove that their heavy loss to their north London opponents last season was simply an off-day.
Commenting on his side’s defensive strength, Klopp said: “We showed it but we have to show it again, again and again.
“If you go through the statistics then you will see over a season we don’t have a lot of shots on target against us.
“We defend well but there were a few moments in the season where if they shot the ball it was in. That’s not too cool.
“It was not a goalkeeper error or whatever, just a good finish. That’s possible still. We've worked on all things and I don’t think it makes sense to look back on all the things we did since then only because we are playing Tottenham again.
We feel we would like to use it a bit like: ‘Strike back, go there and really show our real strength’.
“But yes, we feel we would like to use it a bit like: ‘Strike back, go there and really show our real strength’.
“Of course it's like that but from a tactical view it’s not that it [the 4-1 loss] was the worst game in the world. It was not good, we deserved to lose that day but it was not the worst game in football history.”
Liverpool boast the best record of all the top-six clubs in matches against their rivals for the Champions League spots since Klopp took over almost three years ago.
But they collected only a single point from five matches on the road last term against Spurs, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal - and Klopp is aware that Liverpool cannot afford to be below par in the capital.
“I’m not sure if this game is more important, but for sure it is very important and for sure more difficult as well,” the German tactician added.
“It is not that you go to Tottenham and have an average day and still get something, you get nothing for an average day at Tottenham.
“We need to be on our top level. Two years ago we beat all [the top six] and had a fantastic record. Last year we didn't have such a good record, especially away from home.
"Can we mix it up? We need to be ready. Tottenham are a top team in Europe, not only in England, so it is a tough place to go and tough job to do - that is all we can think about.
"It will be interesting and a proper fight for both teams. The Tottenham manager knows that as well.
"Last year we made it a bit too easy for them because we lost the ball and they only had to play one pass behind our lines. We should be much better organised this time.
“We were much better organised than that in the other games so we should use that and then hopefully we can get something.”