Juergen Klopp
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has challenged his players to keep their cool when they host Everton in the febrile environment of the Merseyside derby on Wednesday.
The fixture has produced more red cards – 20 – than any other since the Premier League began in 1992, but Klopp said he wanted his team to handle the emotions and pressure in a professional manner.
The German is no stranger to city rivalries. He managed Borussia Dortmund during the fiercely contested Ruhr derby games against Schalke 04 in the Bundesliga.
“Before I went to Dortmund there were lots of red cards in derbies. I don’t want to see this. Not to show ‘I am the man’,” Klopp told reporters on Tuesday.
“Maybe one or two fans want to see stuff like this, but it will never help. I understand aggressiveness only in one way, and that is being prepared to hurt yourself, not somebody else.”
Liverpool face Villarreal in the semifinals of the Europa League next week, but Klopp said his players had banished European ambitions from their minds and were concentrating on defeating their local rivals.
“Nobody in our dressing room is thinking about the Europa League,” he said.
Liverpool are currently eight in the domestic standings, three places above Everton, and Klopp, who made 10 changes for their last game against Bournemouth, said he was not planning to save his best players for the semifinal first leg on April 28.
“We have a situation where we can change,” he added. “We felt good before the Bournemouth game and it will be the same against Everton.
No one will be rested.
“We have eight games, hopefully nine games to play. It makes no sense to push the same 11 players through all these games.
“It doesn’t mean we have to rest players for two weeks. If somebody thought when they saw our line-up for Bournemouth that we didn’t want to win the game, then it is the biggest misunderstanding in history.
“Liverpool is a very big club. It’s a big difference between seventh or sixth or fifth (in the Premier League). We need to try everything to get the best position we can get. We could be fifth.”
Meanwhile, English Premiership
Manchester United’s Juan Mata says that the win at Villa Park this weekend has put his side in the right frame of mind to push for a Champion’s League spot.
Manchester United’s three points against Aston Villa is exactly what the team needs to provide the momentum necessary to challenge Arsenal and Manchester City for the coveted fourth spot in the Premier League table, says the Spain international.
The Red Devils are playing their next two matches at home, an advantage the midfielder is certain will play a role in their upcoming results.
“We are in good spirits ahead of these two games after the win against Aston Villa,” the player wrote on his personal blog. “The last week was very positive for us and it should help the team to gather momentum for the last few games.”
“Our goal is to play the Champions League the next season and all we think about right now is to win every single game. We play at home and we want to have a good game in front of our fans; we know that we can count on Old Trafford to have an extra energy. With the crowd’s support we can be closer to the victory although Palace got a draw at the Emirates this weekend and it’s not going to be an easy game for us.”
The ex-Chelsea playmaker also spoke of his team’s upcoming FA Cup quarter-final against Everton, this coming Saturday.
“The end of the season approaches and all the competitions are now selecting their possible winners. Among them is the FA Cup and that’s where we want to be: lifting this historic trophy,” he wrote. “As you know, last Wednesday we defeated West Ham so we will play the semis in Wembley the next Saturday.
“In this complex season we have managed to advance in the FA Cup and now we are very excited with this unique competition that has no equal in the world, with a stadium and atmosphere that make you feel the weight of history.”
Aston Villa have suspended striker Gabriel Agbonlahor and begun an investigation after he was allegedly pictured with laughing gas canisters.
According to reports, the 29-year-old was pictured partying in London on the same night Villa were relegated.
Agbonlahor was already on the sidelines after being told he was not fit enough.
He was suspended by Villa earlier this month after he was pictured appearing to hold a shisha pipe while in Dubai, but the club took no further action. Villa were relegated from the Premier League after losing 1-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. They are bottom of the table after collecting only 16 points from 34 games.
The West Midlands outfit are also without a manager following the sacking of Frenchman Remi Garde and have been hit by two key resignations.
Former Football Association chairman David Bernstein and Lord King, a former Governor of the Bank of England, both quit the board on Monday.