Jurgen Klopp suggests summer transfers 'just not possible' as Liverpool boss defends squad

POOL/AFP via Getty Images
David Lynch7 July 2020

Jurgen Klopp hit out at criticism of his squad as he reiterated that Liverpool are unlikely to be able to dip into the transfer market this summer as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The German’s options beyond his well-established first XI have come under fire this week after a rotated team stuttered to victory over Aston Villa on Sunday.

The likes of Divock Origi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain failed to impress before being replaced just past the hour mark - a move that proved the catalyst for the hosts to go on and win 2-0.

However, Klopp has moved to defend the players he has largely relied on as back-ups, insisting they are often expected to perform at their best in difficult situations.

He said: “It’s not so nice in life but it’s normal that people forget so quick.

“We saw a game against Aston Villa and it was difficult circumstances after a very difficult period in our lives.

“We played against Barcelona, for example, made a lot of changes, and played an outstanding game, one of the best games this team ever played.

“Whatever your first XI is - I don’t know exactly but I think I have an idea - these boys did all the job.

“But on a day when the team is not performing on the highest level, when the pitch is dry like the Sahara, and the wind is blowing like madness like you are on a ship on the sea, then it’s really difficult to make an impression.

“If you have a lack of rhythm, change the little positions and all that kind of stuff, that’s how it is.

“And now we talk about that these players don’t put enough pressure on the first XI, are not close enough, cannot play.

“Oxlade-Chamberlain, if he’s not in your first XI, he played incredible games for this club, he won pretty much alone against City a year or so ago.

“He’s not a worse footballer since then, it’s just not easy always to be there.

“I cannot judge the players because of a game in which the whole team is not performing great. I see them in training and I know that they are more than options for me.”

In Pictures | Liverpool vs Aston Villa | 05/07/2020

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The fallout from that win over relegation-threatened Villa has seen fans and pundits alike urge Klopp to improve his options by dipping into the transfer market this summer.

But the 53-year-old has issued a stark reminder that the financial consequences of Covid-19 are likely to make that impossible.

He continued: “Are there players out there on the market who could help us as well? Probably, yes. This is the challenge for us, to improve a really good football team.

“But the time is a challenge as well. Nobody knows exactly what the future will hold for us, for all of us, so how can we make really expensive decisions about how we will deal with it?

“This team is how it is but that doesn’t mean we will not strengthen, we don’t want to strengthen.

“If we have to and we have the opportunity and we have the financial resources then it will always happen and we will always try.

“But at the moment it’s really, really a difficult time and this team makes pressure on each other by themselves internally. Training quality is really important and high.

“This is a difficult year for all football clubs in the world and I don’t think it’s a time where we talk about transfers like the rest around us did not happen.

“It’s just not possible, at least not for us. We cannot do it like this, other clubs maybe can, but this club is [run] in a specific way.

“This is our way, here we are. Is it the best way? I don’t know, but it’s ours and we will probably stick to that.”

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