MADRID (AP) — Jürgen Klopp saw last year’s loss in the Champions League final as a starting point for Liverpool. Now he feels it…
MADRID (AP) — Jürgen Klopp saw last year’s loss in the Champions League final as a starting point for Liverpool.
Now he feels it’s time for the next step, to finish the season celebrating instead of lamenting.
Liverpool will be seeking its sixth European title when it faces fellow English club Tottenham on Saturday in Madrid.
« This year we learned a lot, » Klopp said Friday. « We are a completely different side to last year, so the final was not too important for our improvement, the final was like a starting point again for the next steps. That’s how we saw it, that’s how we wanted to use it, and that’s what we did.
« We had to make a step. The boys made the step, » he said. « The boys were consistent, and that led us here, and we should be very consistent tomorrow as well. »
Tottenham, meanwhile, will be playing in its first Champions League final, and for coach Mauricio Pochettino the time to win is now.
« The moment you get to the final, it’s about winning the final, » he said. « We trust in ourselves. »
The north London club, which hasn’t won an English title since the 1960s, made a remarkable run to its first Champions League final. Spurs eliminated Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the quarterfinals and came from behind to get past Ajax with a stoppage time away goal in the semifinals.
