Jurgen Klopp: I will not miss the Merseyside derby
Jürgen Klopp has said he will not miss the Merseyside derby when his Liverpool career ends.
Klopp has an exceptional record in the marquee fixture – he has lost just one of his 18 meetings with Everton and is yet to lose a Goodison derby. But he admits the pressure of the occasion means it is not enjoyable, and fears ‘over the top’ physicality.
“Around the derby is just pressure,” said Klopp, who revealed Diogo Jota will miss the next two weeks with a ‘small’ injury. “The pressure is higher so why should the joy be higher? You win it, great, but why should I miss the pressure around it? This time, when you’re really playing for something, that’s the pressure. But when you are both not in a great moment, it’s the one game you have to win, definitely. That kind of pressure – why would I miss that? It’s not enjoyable.
“Everyone else can only watch it and think ‘oh my God, it looks exciting’. But somebody has to make the decisions, somebody has to do this, somebody has to do that.
“So many people visit me around the games and say ‘we will not see that anymore or that anymore’ and I just want to tell them – I work all the time while you just come here and watch the games. I’m constantly in it, even when the game is over I can’t switch off. It’s not great to be in this situation all the time.
“Maybe other people enjoy that more than me. But that’s something I definitely will not miss.”
Liverpool can anticipate an intimidating Goodison atmosphere as Everton look to guarantee safety and end Klopp’s title bid. Klopp believes the game is traditionally more physically demanding.
“It used to be,” he said. “At the beginning I remember I showed the players videos of [Jamie] Carragher in the derby and Stevie [Gerrard] where he got red cards – I love one, and respect the other a lot. That’s what the people expect, that if you get a red card against Everton it’s fine. It’s not, it’s absolutely not because we want to win the game, and it’s the only reason why we go there.
“At the beginning there were a few situations where I thought it was over the top. Since then it has become a bit settled and I hope it stays like this because it should. At the beginning I thought ‘wow, that’s what they are allowed to do?’ and I didn’t get that. But I had to learn all these things over the years, obviously.
“Everything that makes it a really special football game with all ups and downs in a game and good and bad and stuff like that, I’m fully in for it. When it goes over the top, I’m absolutely not. That’s how it is. Let’s see.”
