Jurgen Klopp has said he now possesses the best squad during his time at Liverpool but warned that the players are “not the Harlem Globetrotters” and said he is happy with the team’s attitude rather than quality.
Liverpool took a huge step to making the Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-0 victory at Inter Milan on Wednesday in the round-of-16 first-leg match.
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Summer signing Ibrahima Konate enjoyed an impressive evening while substitutes Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz playing a key role in helping Liverpool to the win with the former grabbing the opening goal.
When asked whether this was his best squad at Anfield in a news conference on Friday, Klopp replied: “Yes, but I really don’t like talking about it because we talk constantly about it and the first thing that happened was Diogo Jota is out and we don’t know for how long.
“We don’t know what will happen in the next game and all these kind of things happen now and yes we know that we have a really good team, really good squad and we have to deliver and have to fight. The quality and the potential of the boys was not the key for the win at Inter, the key was the attitude and the spirit we created on the pitch and that made the difference.
“It’s all about what do you make of the things you have available. We just have to fight and we’re not thinking about how good we could be, we are not the Harlem Globetrotters. There are a lot of really good football teams and squads that we have to battle with, nobody here is happy with being second. We need each and every one of them and not talking about it.
“[The squad] is there and it’s great and usually we talk about it when we don’t have enough players or you think we should sign more players but we spoke for two weeks about it and now Diogo is out.
“Let’s stop asking me about it, think about it, write about it, do whatever you want but my opinion is clear: Yes, top squad, best I ever had but it’s so much more important what kind of mood there is in the team and inside the stadium we can create to get results.
“You don’t win a Champions League away game at Inter Milan because you’re good, you win because you want it with all you have and that’s what we did.”
Klopp also confirmed that Jota will miss the Premier League game against Norwich City on Saturday and refused to rule the striker out of the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on Feb. 27.
“We need further assessments,” Klopp added. “It is something with some ligaments around the ankle. We have to wait.
“Everybody saw the picture of him in the boot and that is a normal procedure. For sure, he won’t be available for the weekend.”
Liverpool have won their last seven games in all competitions and head into this weekend’s fixtures nine points behind league leaders Manchester City with a game in hand.