Jurgen Klopp’s comments in his Tuesday pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool’s Champions League bout with Atletico Madrid is the perfect confidence boost for supporters ahead of the do-or-die Anfield clash on Wednesday night.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MARCH 10: Jurgen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool reacts during the Liverpool FC press conference at Anfield on March 10, 2020 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Liverpool FC will face Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg match on March 11, 2020. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
After all, the German manager has never lost a two-legged European knockout tie since taken charge of Liverpool in October 2015.
Klopp has won all 10 of his continental two-legged bouts and has taken Liverpool to three successive European finals.
Even in the midst of trailing a tactical mastermind like Diego Simeone, Liverpool supporters should still have the utmost confidence that the Reds will have enough in their armoury to get the better of Atletico at the home of the European champions on Wednesday night.
Liverpool have been here before against Spanish opposition and have overcome greater odds when in the face of adversity.
Rewind 10 months and the Reds were preparing to face-off Barcelona prior to a 3-0 deficit without both Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
For the second time in less than a year, Commence Operation Anfield.
Klopp once again has typified the confidence that is amongst the players following the team’s journey from nearly men into continental kings in the space of 12 months.
Liverpool may be bloodied following their schooling in the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium but it will take something of greater significance to knock this European heavyweight from atop of their perch.
Speaking in his press conference on Tuesday, Klopp focussed on the importance of time and how Liverpool have had a sufficient amount of it to look over previous shortcomings to set themselves up for another highly anticipated 90 minutes of football at Anfield.
He said: “It’s half-time, that’s the best news. It’s half-time and for us, half-time in a normal game, we use traditionally in a pretty good way.
“So we like that, we learn from the first half, we show the boys a few situations and [in the] second half very often we improve.
“This time, we had not 15 minutes but three weeks as half-time. We did not prepare the whole time [for] the game but have now for a couple of days and that’s what we want to use as well.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – MAY 07: Liverpool players celebrate with fans after the UEFA Champions League Semi Final second leg match between Liverpool and Barcelona at Anfield on May 07, 2019 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
It is worth noting that Liverpool have lost just one out of 10 of their second-leg European matches under Klopp and they are yet to have been eliminated before the final in all three of their previous European campaigns.
Atletico did not look like a team that was equipped to conquer Anfield following their showing three weeks ago.
Despite their impregnability at their home fortress in recent years, Atletico’s form away from the Spanish capital has been their undoing in the competition.
In fact, Atletico have failed to score away from home in the knockout stages of the Champions League since 2017 and have won just two of their previous 12 European Cup away fixtures.
However, Simeone’s troops simply don’t have to, and they are probably about as perfectly constructed as possible to withstand the forces that visiting teams bend to when a European Cup knockout tie comes to L4.
Over to you Anfield.