Klopp on Endo, Szoboszlai and ‘joke’ possession

On new signing Wataru Endo, Klopp says the Reds have acquired a player who turns “a real monster” on the pitch, adding: “I’m really happy we finally have an agreement with a club and a player. I am from Germany, I watch a lot of Bundesliga, I have known him since he was at Stuttgart. I liked him pretty much from the start. I think if you want he’s a little bit of a late bloomer. Usually for the way our owners see it, he was already too old when he joined. I obviously have a different view on that and have always liked him.”

Klopp said he is unsure if the new charge will be available for Saturday but when reflecting on the midfielder’s move as a 30-year-old, said: “In football we close books much too early. We need him, that’s clear. I am really happy these kind of stories are possible in this crazy world of football.”

The manager says recruitment has become more difficult because of the additional money being spent by some clubs and by teams in Saudi Arabia.

He added: “If I had called one million players they would have come here. You have to make sure you call the rights ones. We can’t spend and have a look later. I am really happy with our transfer window at the moment. We will not use money as an excuse for one second. We will just go with it. We will do it our way. We are here and we are ready to fight.”

Klopp does not want to lose any players and says the club will continue to look to add to their options.

Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago are “really close” to being available, with Klopp stating his midfield options will look “completely different” after the international break.

He felt the performance of Dominik Szoboszlai was “pretty special” in the 1-1 draw at Chelsea, adding: “Dom was especially impressive physically, his work rate until the last second was immense. It is the first game. Being there on that kind of intense level until the last second is pretty special.”

On the Chelsea display, Klopp says his team were not found wanting defensively as many pundits stated, insisting: “We didn’t play enough football, that was our problem. We were not settled enough in the way we want to play. I think that is not too surprising. What we lacked in that game was rhythm. We had 35% possession which is an absolute joke. We were with the ball, too much in a rush. The best way to defend is to always keep the ball.”