Can we start with Jordan Henderson?
Is there an update on his fitness, is there a fear he could be out for a while
and could you look to make changes this Monday
after the physical demands of Madrid?
Hendo is... It could have been worse.
As we all know, it was a hamstring thing, and we've heard of different hamstring injures now
in the Premier League, Harry Kane for example.
It's not that bad, but he will be out, I think, for three weeks or so,
which is not cool, but how we see it we were still lucky.
Yeah, that's it.
Changes? I could, because apart from Hendo the other boys are fit,
but Tuesday-Monday there's absolutely no need to do it,
that's enough time, longer than we usually have.
So we'll see who starts and stuff like this, and maybe we'll make more changes,
but not because of the Atletico game.
Arsene Wenger has said this week that he wants to change marginal offside decisions
to favour the attacking team.
There's been a lot of controversy around VAR this season,
would you be in favour of that?
I heard about it, what Arsene said, the 'daylight rule', right?
He named it a daylight thing.
I'm not sure about that, didn't think enough about it,
when we spoke with the coahces about it what we thought could make it easier as well
is that we just say whatever it is - your toe or your foot is offside,
apart from that, it's not offside.
No higher, no armpits, no shoulders or any of that stuff,
that would help as well I think.
I hope they involve a few sportspeople, so I'm happy that Arsene Wenger is around there
and giving some advice, because it always feels like it's good in theory
and then when you have to prove it in practice, it doesn't work exactly like that.
In the moment, for me, the offside rule is fine,
of course it takes too long because it's so close,
because we decide, and is it right 100 per cent with the lines?
That makes it a bit complicated, but if in the end it's offside, then it's offside.
We had these situations, the armpit and stuff like this, but it's offside.
I have no problem with that, it's just that we have to make sure we help the people more,
and the thicker line which UEFA or whoever brought up could help.
But there will be close decisions in the future as well, there always were,
it just didn't take that long to find out because the linesman put the flag up - done.
So afterwards, after the game you heard it was not offside,
so it wasn't nice for the linesman,
or for anybody, but there was always discussions around offside.
I'm happy that we discuss it and there are different ideas,
but I hope in the end it will be the right solution, that would help massively.
There's a story today about a young Manchester United fan who wrote to you
asking Liverpool to lose, and you replied.
What prompted that?
Were you feeling sympathetic cos you're so far ahead of United?
It had nothing to do with that. We had time, that helps in that moment,
I cannot answer all the letters I get every day, I get a lot,
and it was just nice, it was cheeky.
I read the letter and I replied, how the world is now...
It's a private letter - I get it, I respond and the next day it's in the newspaper.
I don't like that too much but it's all fine.
I have no problem with supporters of other clubs,
I think and hope - know - it's a free world, so we can choose our club,
I don't think everybody has to be a Liverpool fan.
I like working for Liverpool and I like the rivalry we have,
but I love it even more if we can keep that on the pitch.
Apart from that, they can be happy and we should be happy,
and I hope Daragh is now happy.
He looks like it, in the picture I saw later, so...good.
Just to follow on from that, Jürgen,
one thing you've always said is that football is for everyone,
it shouldn't be that rivalry, and I know you said this was a little bit cheeky,
but you must get so many letters, was it just the cheekiness that stood out for you?
It all came together - cheeky, 10 years old, which I think is a nice age
when you should start being cheeky,
and it was smart as well. I thought it's a good idea, try it, why not?
Like I said, we try to respond to as many as possible,
but it's just not possible. In the moment we're obviously in a positive period,
and that means the letters are pretty much all friendly,
but still, cannot reply to all of them, even if we try as often as possible.
I think the people know that, they write most of the time,
"I know you will not respond, I know you can't respond" and all that stuff.
I read nearly all of them. I don't open them,
somebody reads them before and gives them to me,
so probably there are a few which are not that nice, which I don't see.
But, no, that's all cool, people know I can't respond to all of them.
Jürgen, incredible season so far, winning match after match,
and I know it was a different competition, but when you lose a game,
as you did against Atletico Madrid,
and when we speak to you about league games and the last one you've won,
you always say that's forgotten and it's about the game in front of you,
but can you sense amongst the players even more added determination
after a defeat, not to put things right, because it's a different competition,
but to reach the level...
It's to put things right, just not in that competition.
It's a little bit strange. Yes, we lost the game and there's absolutely no positive in it -
we lost the game.
But it's important, IF there's any help in that result
it's that you felt that defeat and it felt like a defeat.
It felt after the game like a defeat, it felt the next morning like a defeat,
it was nothing. Nobody thought, "But in the league we are like this."
It's all what we said after the game, like it's not done yet -
it's the truth, we know that.
But it's not that we say Anfield alone will sort it at the end.
We have to put a proper performance in.
Atletico showed obviously a lot of passion, desire and stuff like this, fought for the result.
They will fight here for the result, 100 per cent.
But the thing is, to put it right is to get the other feeling back.
The other feeling, I don't think we ever lost how a win feels,
but we won a few games, so now we lost it and the difference is massive -
much more than three points.
It's really from sunshine to hardest rain, and that's how it should be.
If you really want to be successful and if you could be successful -
which we could have been in that game -
then it has to feel really bad, and that's how it felt.
So, yes, we want to put things right, even when it's a different competition.
West Ham are struggling, Liverpool in incredible form,
so on paper it's an easy three points, but football isn't like that
and the teams at the bottom at this stage of the campaign quite often put together runs,
and the Hammers have given you some tough matches in your period in charge.
Michail Antonio in particular has always showed up well against you,
they do have talent there.
They have. They didn't have [Felipe] Anderson and [Sebastien] Haller on the pitch,
I know both and like them a lot. Lanzini on the bench, stuff like that,
so you see the quality they have.
I saw the game, we came home on Wednesday afternoon,
so I could watch the game, and with all Man City's brilliance, which we know about,
the first goal was a set-piece,
and the second goal was a super situation from Kevin De Bruyne obviously,
but, at the end, it was a little bit scrappy with Bernardo Silva,
and then he takes the ball over and it's kind of a one-two in the box.
Super goal, but not outplayed like you would expect when City is on the pitch.
So they fought really hard, they defended the box with all they had.
They didn't have a lot of possession obviously,
so I wouldn't expect that they go for much more possession against us,
but they will defend again with all they have.
I didn't hear exactly what David said after the game,
but I think they took some positives out of that game and they will try it again.
We have to be ready for that.
It's Monday night, we need a really good atmosphere again
and not kind of this perception that you go there and think,
"OK, 1-0 after seven minutes, 2-0 after 25 and then it's easy-going."
It will not be like this.
West Ham need to fight for results and they will fight for results.
They have tough games coming up for them as well,
so they don't have time to waste results, points or whatever.
I expect a really, really tough match, 100 per cent.
Jürgen, typically when you've had injuries this season
the players who have filled in have done really well.
Obviously with Henderson being sidelined for three weeks or so,
you must be confident with the midfield options you've got there,
because there's a lot of players who've been unfortunate
to be on the bench for a long period this season
because of how Henderson has been playing.
Yeah, that's how it is, so hopefully nothing else happened, to be honest.
Yes, Hendo is exceptionally important,
not only football-wise but for other reasons as well,
which hopefully everybody knows.
Oh, yes, we still have options there and that's good,
and there's a chance of course, it's a chance for all of them,
but it would have been anyway,
Hendo wouldn't have played every game from now on until the end of the season.
But, no, it's a position where we can react, so we will react.
Just wondering whether Shaqiri...
He's first.
Just wondering, what's the latest with Shaqiri?
Where he's up to with his rehab?
Not close to team training yet. We cannot - we never did -
but this time for sure, not put any time pressure on it,
because it's obviously a difficult one,
never a big one but always big enough to keep him out for another two or three weeks,
so we just have to wait.
He's not close to team training.
With Sadio, obviously on Tuesday you had to take him out of the game early,
being in a big game, what was his reaction like to that,
did you have to have any conversation with him
to explain what you told us in the press conference?
Oh, I spoke to him this morning, asked him if he was surprised,
and he said yes, and I said OK, because he was not nervous at all, stuff like this,
could have dealt with it - that's good, that's how a player sees it,
but my honest opinion, people don't like it, I don't think he had a chance.
We need Sadio physical; Sadio doesn't foul, so...
We need him physical, which means you have contact with your opponent,
and I would say both situations were made up,
so that's how it, it's part of the game. I don't like it so much but it's part of the game.
And you cannot avoid situations like that,
the situation they created a minute before half-time,
eight players around the ref pushing him in that direction,
I didn't believe that we could finish the game with 11 if we kept him on the pitch.
And he was exceptional again, really good,
caused them a lot of problems, so I would have loved to have him on the pitch,
I just had to make a decision without knowing what would happen;
I did that, but he's fine, he's completely fine.
He's rested, which is good as well.
Is there any update on Gini Wijnaldum's future,
is there an idea on when he might get a new contract, anything like that?
If there would be any updates...
Actually nothing to say about it, it's like it always is,
we talk about it when something is decided, not before.