Liverpool must produce a “perfect performance” to overcome a
3-1 first leg deficit against
Real Madrid on Wednesday and reach the Champions
League semi-finals, manager Jurgen Klopp said.
اضافة اعلان
A difficult season for the English champions will end
without a trophy should they fail to pull off a fightback against the 13-time
European Cup winners on Wednesday.
“This Real Madrid team has some of the greatest talent
playing football in the world today. This isn’t a surprise — it’s what Real
Madrid do. So to beat a side like this you must always strive for the perfect
performance,” Klopp said in remarks published on the Liverpool website on
Tuesday.
“But what we will not lose sight of is how good we are, the
talent we have, the magic in our dressing room and the character required to
make special moments happen.
“We have the entire package at Liverpool.”
One part of the package missing from previous glory European
nights at Anfield will be the crowd because of ongoing coronavirus
restrictions.
Liverpool famously overcame a 3-0 first leg deficit to beat
Barcelona 4-0 in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on route
to winning the competition for a sixth time in 2019.
But, with no fans in the stands, Klopp has played down
comparisons with that clash or the fightback from 3-1 down on the night, to
score three times in the last 24 minutes and beat Borussia Dortmund 4-3 and
advance 5-4 on aggregate in the Europa League five years ago.
“It is an indisputable truth that a full stadium would have
been significant for us,” added Klopp.
“When I think back to the many special nights we have had
here, I usually describe them with the word ‘together’. That is because those
nights were about the collective power of this club. Supporters and players
coming together to produce memories that last a lifetime.
“My job – and the job of the boys — is to channel your energy
despite the forced distance. We know it’s still there, therefore we can still
use it. It’s more of a challenge, of course, but since when did we ever do
anything the easy way?”
Left-back Andy Robertson said the players have a
responsibility to create the atmosphere themselves.
“The Barcelona game, that wouldn’t be possible without the
fans. The fans made us feel 10 feet tall,” said the Scotland captain.
“Walking out to 55,000 other people who believed, gave you
that extra 10 percent.
“We need to try and create that atmosphere in the changing
room before we go out. We’ve got to have no regrets.”
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