10 February 2023 , 10:27
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When Jurgen Klopp sat down for his Friday morning press conference ahead of Monday night’s Merseyside derby, he knew exactly what was coming.
After the events of the week, the Liverpool boss, despite his side’s struggles, despite Everton's win over Arsenal in Sean Dyche’s opening game, and despite a host of other issues at Anfield, knew what was coming.
And, quite simply, he was in no mood to offer his opinion on it, his declaration clear and shutting down a potential line of questioning before it had even begun: "I have absolutely nothing to say about that."
The question from the floor, of course, was with regards to Manchester City and the Premier League's decision to charge its reigning champions with breaking its financial rules.
City, who pipped Liverpool to the title on the last day of last season, have been charged with more than 100 breaches of its financial rules following a four-year investigation. And while there is currently plenty of conjecture swirling around what may or may not happen, Klopp had no intention of discussing it.
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Perhaps if Liverpool were in any kind of title race up against Pep Guardiola’s men it may have been something the German could use, in the public sphere, to ramp up pressure on rivals at the Etihad. But, right now, that’s not where Liverpool and their manager - less than 12 months removed from challenging for every piece of silverware going - are at.
Instead, they go into their Anfield showdown with Dyche’s Toffees sitting 10th in the Premier League table, 11 points off the top four and licking their wounds after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Wolves - a third defeat in their last four league matches.
Klopp's men endured a nightmare time at Wolves last week (Andy Rowland / PRiME Media Images)"I'm really looking forward to a derby atmosphere, a proper atmosphere and a proper, proper football game,” said Klopp, who insisted all Liverpool’s current issues must fall on his shoulders.
"This is not a time or situation we want to be in, but it is a time when we can show the club is really special.
"We are fighting to change the situation in a better direction. The better you behave in your lower moments, the quicker you get to the higher moments. We have to show that reaction."
Indeed, Klopp was in spiky mood throughout his press conference, taking umbrage with comments on the form of Jordan Henderson - who has played 91 games since the start of last season. Notably also, a frustrated Liverpool boss insisted that he didn't need to give an explanation about the side's disappointing campaign to those in attendance.
"In our best periods, it's easy to have a press conference because you ask about players scoring, we have a laugh and it's nice. Some of you make massive things of what I say and it is not my intention. It's difficult to talk all the time about [poor form].
"I can explain absolutely everything, but not to you. People can write what they want. That's the problem, I can't explain everything to you. I explain it to the boys and we go from there. We hope for a better result and a much easier press conference."
He knows the only way he'll get that is if he starts to get results on the pitch again.