Liverpool are far from their happy place at the moment, but Jurgen Klopp’s philosophical view on being a winner will set the stage for an improvement in form.
The Reds were served another dose of reality midweek, with Napoli cutting Klopp’s side at will in a 4-1 loss that left the manager using the words ‘reinvent us’.
It is not a “new kind of football” that Klopp is after, but rather a return to the basics of what has made this Liverpool team so incomparable and catapulted them into a quadruple offer last season.
Intensity has been lacking, since he also wins on the board. But effort is non-negotiable and Klopp hinted at that after the Napoli loss, saying: “If you’re not playing exceptionally well, you can still defend at a really high level, you should be able to do that.”
And his definition of being a ‘winner’ is exactly what Liverpool must focus on now: “Someone who keeps trying.”
“The reason I have been able to walk through life with such confidence is that I never had the need to be perfect,” Klopp told Sport1 in a recent interview.
“It is very important for us humans to find our way to be happy. And if you’re not the best, which I never have been, there should still be opportunities for me to be good.
“And that is completely related to how I deal with my own situations.
“For me, a winner is not someone who keeps winning, I don’t know who they are, but someone who keeps trying.
“And he keeps trying, keeping it and working on it, improving and changing things. To me, these are winners in all walks of life.”
Shoulders have drooped at various points throughout the season so far but Liverpool have to get back to basics, tired minds and bodies are no surprise but that doesn’t justify a lack of effort and desire.
And Andy Robertson spoke honestly about the questions the Reds need to ask themselves.
“Are we doing enough for the team? Are we playing how we want to play? Are we doing exactly what we should be doing? Because it didn’t look like it,” Robertson said after Wednesday’s loss.
It is time for Liverpool to live up to Klopp’s definition of a winner at a time when victories on the pitch are proving difficult, it will all fall into place very soon.
