- Hi, Jürgen. - Hi.
You've scored nine goals on your last two visits to Old Trafford,
13 goals in your last three meetings with Manchester United,
so what test are you anticipating this time around?
When we had the two results last year,
I knew already in that moment it would not help for next year - that's always like this.
I couldn't be less interested in the results from last year -
they were different games, different situations.
So it just helps United, probably, a little bit to be even more motivated;
if that's possible, in the situation we are in.
Did someone knock on the door?
No? Oh, my God, I hear already...
People knocking on doors!
So, no, this is a completely different game, in a different situation, but that's it.
Obviously with Nunez suspended, is Bobby fit to come back in
and have you spoken to Darwin as well, what's his reaction been like?
Yeah, Bobby trained completely normal and is ready.
Of course we spoke to Darwin
and the reaction is like the reaction is in these situations.
He was very disappointed with himself, obviously, that it happened.
We spoke to him. The things the centre-half did,
he's not the only player in the world who is doing these kind of things.
Look, it's a bit like that, if somebody makes such a mistake and you tell them,
"[You] should not do it" - "Yeah, I know."
It's about emotions, it’s about all these kind of things.
We never had a situation like this before here, as far as I know, pretty sure.
That’s why I’m not an expert in these talks, because I didn't need to have it that often.
But it was that obvious that he knew anyway.
He apologised, which is absolutely fine.
But now it's really important that...
We told him that it's not necessary to be walking through the building head down,
miserable, stuff like this, because it happened, that's it.
We are human beings and we all made mistakes in our lives,
and will make mistakes in our life, and then you have to carry on.
If you don’t do it again, then it’s all fine. It happened once and it's OK.
Can I also ask about Naby as well?
I just wonder how ready he is to start,
he was on the bench on Monday but there's also been these reports in Germany
that he's unhappy with his situation and could even leave before the deadline.
Has Naby intimated anything that to you?
How would you describe the situation?
It's really funny when I have to respond to 'news.'
Because what you would learn if you sat on my side of the table
is how often 0.0 is behind this news.
Then you would think, "Oh, really? What can I believe at all when I read newspapers?"
So, no, nothing, absolutely nothing.
Naby was ill for a week, last game on the bench,
is fully in training, looks really good. All fine.
But not a player who is overly happy when he is not playing - he should not be -
but it's completely fine, everything.
Nobody came to me and asked me about anything like that.
Apart from you obviously!
Jürgen, is there that extra motivation...
You talk about Man United's position,
but for Liverpool as well, to get that season up and running as supporters would expect?
Yeah.
For us it's two completely different games we played,
I said it often enough that I wasn't happy with the performance against Fulham,
this is now our fourth game, because the City game [Community Shield] was really good,
Fulham really bad, Crystal Palace really good but special
because of the red card.
I cannot remember ever seeing a 10 v 11
where the 10 men put the 11 under as much pressure as we did.
We pressed them everywhere and that's the most difficult thing to do,
especially in that area, and with being outnumbered,
so many options for the opponent,
but we did really well, I liked it a lot.
So at the start of the season you want to have results...
I wouldn't say first and foremost, but they help a lot,
but you need performances as well to work with.
So we have now a lot of good, and a few not-so-good, and we go from here.
For United, it's clear;
you all played your part in - not you personally -
but it was not a nice week for United after the Brentford game.
We forget in these moments how good Brentford are, to be honest.
It was that bad, I drove home, I had watched the first half here I think,
then drove home and listened to TalkSport, and Gabby...?
JOURNALISTS: Agbonlahor.
I know. He lost against 6-0 in my first year,
I couldn't remember him as a mentality monster on the pitch,
but what he said about United on that show, I was close to calling in!
I was close to calling in and telling him: "You forget that you've been a player."
It was unbelievable.
And if ex-players already go like this, then you can imagine how everything else is going.
Now you just to have to ask yourself,
how would you want to react in a situation like this?
Of course, fight back, that's completely normal, that's what we expect.
The good news is, when we play United it's always the same,
from our side it's like this,
we are not happy about our start but have a few things that we liked as well.
And United can change nothing, can change everything; we don't know,
so it's pretty tricky preparation-wise.
But it's early in the season and you don't have a lot of information anyway;
Crystal Palace played with five at the back for the first or second time ever.
So, yeah, it's tough, but we play United away, it was never easy and never will be.
We'll try to do our absolute best.
And you said Bobby will be available, is there anybody else [recovered from injury]?
All the others trained normal as well...
No! Nobody.
No.
Nobody has came back.
Jürgen, you touched on it there,
but United's ridiculously poor start to the season...
Make sure that that's your words.
Well, if you look...
If I say 'yes', then it's like, "Klopp said..."
But does that make them more difficult to play in some respects?
Of course, of course..
Wow, all good?
I would prefer to play them after they won 5-0, definitely. That's how it is.
But it's not dreamland, so we have to take it like it is.
We drew two games, so is it better to play us in a situation like this, or is it worse?
I don't know. It's just the situation, and in the end,
there's a start in the game but then 89 minutes are still to go,
so you have to deal with all the situations in the game,
and in this moment obviously nobody knows exactly what will happen around the game.
We don't know.
MAN TALKS INDISTINCTLY
This press conference is getting better and better!
He's not bothered, that's good.
Best regards.
I think the whole world will watch it,
it's Monday night anyway, everybody can watch it,
and you will see how these two heavyweights deal with the situation.
I would watch it... I will watch it.
Joe Gomez came on for the second half on Monday night
and really looked the part again.
If you consider how many injury problems he's had,
what sort of chance does this represent for him now?
Of course it's an opportunity. But he was now really unlucky last week because he came on,
he had only a little thing, only a little thing but I had to make the decision.
He only came back to team training the day before the game - Sunday.
I said no because we have Nat Phillips in, and I thought Nat played a really good game.
I know there are people probably out there, saying, "Yeah, but the first goal..."
We have to defend the first goal in another position,
because it's not there to defend anymore when the ball is played, the last pass.
So, yeah, a big opportunity and he looks great in training. He's back.
He was in the squad last week, but now he's back in completely normal training
and hopefully it stays like this and then he will start.
From the very few games you'll have seen of Man United under Erik ten Hag,
what have you made of the changes he's implemented?
You don't need my saying to that. It's obvious what he wants to do,
he wants to build up from the back.
We played them in the pre-season obviously.
There, you could see and feel the high-press idea and these kind of things.
We were, for sure, not ready for that game in the pre-season,
not sure if the players arrived only three days before the game, but that's how it is.
We made some mistakes, but they used them really well.
The individual quality of United up front is ridiculous.
I heard [Anthony] Martial can play probably, now trained again and can play.
He played against us obviously a really good game,
so another boy with technique and speed.
Football quality in midfield,
whoever lines up he will have [Christian] Eriksen, [Bruno] Fernandes,
..Donny van de Beek, Fred...
Gabby doesn't like him but I think he's a really good player!
And [Scott] McTominay, so there's real quality there
and then it's just about how we deal with that.
But again, these one, two games they played in the league,
I saw them both and now we have to try to figure out if he will change,
and what he will change. We go from there.
If we have no idea, then we just have to learn it in the game.
Jürgen, just a check on Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, where they're up to with rehab?
Getting closer.
Yeah, no chance for this game, ask after the game again,
but no chance for this one.
Jürgen, just on Erik ten Hag, you came over here after being successful overseas,
he's done the same -
is it difficult to come into the Premier League when expectations are high?
Yeah.
I think for me it was easier because I didn't come for the start of the season,
we didn't have a transfer window.
In England people tend to then say, "Yeah, it's not his team."
So whatever I did, you would have said, "It's not his team."
I actually thought after one day it's my team,
so I felt really responsible for all the performances from the first game.
But it's easier. And now, I don't think you can really compare it, different times.
My arrival is probably seven years ago - it's a long time in football,
nearly a decade, a lot of things changed since then.
But it's not easy, definitely not, especially when you have to 'rebuild',
or however they see it, but change a lot of things [in a] team. That's not easy.
Are these the type of games you look forward to the most?
Between the heavyweights.
Oh, I love all the games, I don't treat them differently, why should I?
Before the game I loved the game at Fulham,
even when... They're building a new stand, which will be wonderful when it's done,
but the dressing rooms stay where they are, and it's very small!
So I'm not sure if that should be allowed.
A completely new stand with no space for a dressing room - that's crazy.
But I loved the game there, and Crystal Palace, I thought, "Great",
and now United, then Bournemouth, Newcastle, Everton...
So, yeah, it's the Premier League: I love it.