Jurgen Klopp has insisted Liverpool will need to focus on playing their own style against Tottenham in the Champions League final in Madrid.
Liverpool reached the Champions League final last season, but were beaten 3-1 by Real Madrid, meaning Klopp has now been beaten in three major European finals in his managerial career.
The German suffered defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final in 2013 at Wembley, and also lost the Europa League final to Sevilla with Liverpool in 2016.
However, Klopp has now urged his current Liverpool side to ensure that they play in the same fashion they have all season, when the Reds take to the field at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium in this season’s Champions League final.
“There are no easy games. In the Champions League there are no easy games, so why should the final be easy? Certainly not. So far we’ve always used our experience in these moments, during every moment in our season,” Klopp told the Daily Star.
“That’s what we have to do. We have to play the football we stand for. We have to play LFC football. That’s the plan, and then it will still be difficult, but it was difficult in all the other games as well.”
OPINION
Klopp is right to urge his players to carry on playing in the same style they have done all season in the Champions League final against Tottenham. However, given the German’s previous experiences in European finals he will be fully aware that the occasion can sometimes get the better of the sides taking to the field. Klopp will be doing everything he can to ensure that his players are relaxed enough to play with the same freedom that they have done throughout an impressive campaign. If Liverpool are to lose the final the Reds’ players will not want to be wondering what if they had just played their natural game. Klopp has the advantage of knowing how to approach big finals, which is something that Tottenham and their manager Mauricio Pochettino have never previously experienced before. Liverpool have beaten Spurs twice in the league already this season, and will be fully aware that if they play at their best it will be difficult for Tottenham to find a way to beat them in Madrid.
