Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has refused to dismiss Manchester United’s chances ahead of their Premier League meeting at Old Trafford on Monday night.
Klopp’s side handed 5-0 and 4-0 defeats to their bitter rivals in the league last season, and United have already shipped in six goals while losing their first two fixtures to Brighton and Brentford this term.
Although Liverpool have not been firing this season too, with two draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace in their first two games, they are still overwhelming favourites to comfortably beat United at Old Trafford.
“I couldn’t be less interested in results from last year, they are different games and different situations,” Klopp said during his pre-match press conference today.
“This is completely different and that’s it.”
Klopp insisted that beating United at Old Trafford, regardless of the hosts’ form, will never be regarded as straightforward.
“United can change nothing or everything, so we don’t know, it is really tricky preparation wise, but it’s early in the season and we don’t have a lot of info anyway,” the German noted.
“It’s tough but it’s fine. United away will never be easy so we try to do our absolute best.”
When asked whether it is more difficult facing a wounded United side that might raise their game, Klopp said that could be the case.
He said: “Of course. I would prefer to play them after they won 5-0, definitely, but that’s how it is.
“We drew two games, so is it better to play us in a situation like this? I don’t know. We have to deal with all the situations in the game and at this moment nobody knows what will happen.
“The whole world will watch it, it’s on Monday so let’s see how these heavyweights deal with the situation.”
Klopp then refused to condemn United manager Erik ten Hag for the side’s poor start, when the Dutchman’s arrival was compared to his own mid-season appointment at Liverpool in 2015.
“I think for me it was easier because I didn’t come at the start of the season and didn’t have a transfer window,” the former Borussia Dortmund manager said.
“In England, people tend to say ‘it’s not his team’ but I actually thought from day one it was my team, so I felt responsible for all the performances.
“Now you can’t really compare it, they are different times. My arrival was seven years ago. It’s a long time in football, a lot of things have changed.
“It’s not easy, especially when you have to rebuild.”
In furthering his defence of his fellow manager, Klopp called out former Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor for describing United as a shambles after last week’s 4-0 defeat at Brentford.
Klopp said he heard Agbonlahor, the former England international with Nigerian heritage, slaughtering United at Brentford on Talksport while driving home from training.
“He lost 6-0 here with Villa in my first season. He wasn’t a mentality monster in that game. I was close to calling in,” the German said.
On Darwin Nunez’s red card against Crystal Palace on Monday after the striker headbutted Joachim Andersen, Klopp said: “Bobby [Firmino] has trained as normal and is ready.
“Of course we spoke to Darwin and he was very disappointed with himself. The things that the centre-half [Joachim Andersen] did, he’s not the only player in the world doing these kinds of things.
“We’ve never had a situation like this before while I’ve been here as far as I know, so I’m not an expert in these talks.
“But it was obvious that he knew. He apologised. We all make mistakes.”
