Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his team will be at 100 per cent for the Merseyside derby
Written by News on 01/06/2020
Jurgen Klopp says having the whole group back together is a “massive, massive lift” as Liverpool prepare to try and wrap up a first league title in 30 years.
The Premier League has been on hold since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic but is set to resume on June 17.
Assuming the restart goes ahead, it appears to be a matter of when rather than if Liverpool win the Premier League for the first time, given Klopp’s men boast a 25-point lead over nearest rivals Manchester City.
The Reds have stepped up their preparations by resuming contact training in recent days, with Klopp looking to hit the ground running in the first game back, which will be a Merseyside derby against Everton.
He told the club website: “We don’t have to be match-fit now.
“We try it with increasing intensity, day by day, but we have to be fit on the 19th or 20th, whichever day they will give us against Everton, I think.
“That’s the moment when we want to be at 100 per cent.
“It’s around about three weeks until then, that’s good. We want to use that and we will.
“It’s our pre-season. We don’t expect a long break in between the seasons, so this is a very important period for us.
“We never had nine weeks without football training in our lives – since we played football, pretty much. That’s all different but interesting as well. We enjoy the situation, that’s really all good.
“And it makes all the difference for us, to be honest, to come together and have this hour or two here together.
“You get this contact, feedback as well on the pitch directly, not via a computer or a screen. It’s a massive, massive lift.”
Defender Trent Alexander-Arnold confirmed that all was well in the camp, following the return of contact training.
“So far, so good,” said the England right-back.
“It has been positive to be back with the boys, that was the main thing we’ve all been missing.
“It’s just really positive, everyone is in a good mood and good spirits. We’re just happy to be back.
“Obviously it’s safety first, so we’ve had to take precautions and take it seriously but, when we get into training, it’s good to be back to normal.”
64 live PL games on Sky, 25 free-to-air
Sky Sports will show 64 live Premier League games. In addition to the 39 matches scheduled to be broadcast on Sky before the coronavirus interruption, 25 more matches will be available on both Sky Sports Premier League and Sky’s free-to-air Pick channel.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his team will be at 100 per cent for the Merseyside derby
