Jurgen Klopp expressed his delight about walking out in front of a renovated Anfield and urged supporters to “trust” Liverpool’s potential to bounce back from last season’s setback.
Jurgen Klopp laughs during the pre-season friendly match between Karlsruher SC and Liverpool FC at BBBank Wildpark on July 19, 2023
The Reds lost their early grasp on the FA Cup and League Cup, were humiliated by Real Madrid in the Champions League, and failed to finish in the top four for the first time in seven years.
Several seasoned players left the team over the summer, and Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, a midfield duo worth £95 million, joined the team. Additional additions are anticipated in the coming weeks as Fabinho and Jordan Henderson near completion of their deals to Saudi Arabia.
And while Klopp admits that fans had a challenging season last year, he has urged for Liverpool to once again show a united front as they look to respond.
“We all know the other teams there are pretty good as well and some teams have shown their ambitions already pretty clear,” said the Reds boss. “But in other teams a lot of change will happen. In the Premier League, all teams are really, really good, so how can you make the difference? By being a closer unit than others. And what can the supporters do? A lot.
“Seven-and-half years ago, and I don’t want to stretch this really, I said we had to change from doubters to believers and I didn’t know at that time it would become a phrase of that period. We all change. I wasn’t sure at that time, so maybe I was a doubter but I became a massive believer.
“But of course the last year of nearly winning the quadruple but not doing it actually, and then having the season we had, that can create some doubt. I know that. One day people want to change the team in 12 positions, then next day it’s only one, then we change and it’s the wrong player – ‘no, not him!’ – and it’s like that.
“What I would like to ask is for supporters to trust us. We feel really responsible for what’s happening here and we will do absolutely everything to have a season – in the best possible understanding – they will never forget.”
The £80million Anfield Road Stand redevelopment is nearing completion, which will bump up the capacity to around 61,000 in time for Liverpool’s first home game against Bournemouth on August 19.
It means the Reds are likely to play in front of the biggest Anfield crowd for a league game in history, and Klopp – speaking on the ‘We are Liverpool’ podcast – said: “We will have 6,000 more in Anfield and oh my God, I can’t wait for that. My imagination isn’t good enough (to know what that will be like).
“I had some of the best moments of my life in the ‘old’ stadium, so let’s see what we can create. Hopefully it will be people who have been waiting 20 years for a ticket and will shout their soul out.”