Ian Doyle previews Liverpool’s Europa League tie against LASK at the Raiffeisen Arena
Some 2,682 days since the desperate disappointment of Basel, Jurgen Klopp returns to where it more or less started for him at Liverpool.
But while the immediate job remains the same, the scale of the task bares little comparison to the one the Reds boss assumed when first stepping in at Anfield almost eight years ago.
Klopp’s first home game in charge was a Europa League group match against Rubin Kazan, where a 1-1 draw despite playing the majority of the game against 10 men was an early indication of the work that needed to be done to restore former glories.
Since then, the progress has been sizeable, with the occasional setback brushed aside as Liverpool emerged as the only team to seriously threaten moneybags Manchester City’s increasingly weary domination in England.
That, though, was until last season, when the significant blow of missing out on Champions League qualification for the first time since 2016 forced Klopp to refashion a squad that had grown too old and was in need of fresh faces, fresh legs and a fresh outlook.
The impressive start to the Premier League campaign suggests the labour undertaken in the summer – more than £150million was spent on four new midfielders – is already being rewarded, with Liverpool once again within touching distance of leaders City, having taken 13 points from 15.
And it says much about the strength in depth at present that Klopp can still field a strong team this evening despite wholesale changes being expected in the Europa League Group E opener against LASK here in the Austrian city of Linz this evening.
Certainly, Liverpool are in a much better place than when they last lined up in the competition.
“My first year, I thought the Europa League was a bit too much for us until we got to the final,” says Klopp. “We had to fly to Russia, played on a frozen pitch in Sion. I hope it won’t be like that, to be honest! Trying to become a team somehow and the results helped obviously.
“That was a different squad, we were not ready, and we came through somehow. I don’t think we were exceptional until the quarter-final, semi-final when we played outstandingly well. But I wouldn’t compare it.
“It is a different time, a different team. We are better prepared for he competition. That doesn’t mean we will go to the final. We enjoy it more to be here because we had no clue at that time what to expect.”
That none of the 18-strong matchday squad from the Europa League final in 2016 are still at the club serves further to underline how Klopp is now in the process of what he hopes will be his second truly competitive Liverpool team.
Klopp will seek another landmark tonight when he aims to become the first Liverpool manager to earn 50 wins in Europe. He is currently tied with Rafael Benitez on 49.
And the Reds will hope to extend their unbeaten record in Austria having earned three wins and a draw from their previous visits. The most recent, against Red Bull Salzburg in December 2019, saw Dominik Szoboszlai in opposition.
The midfielder, however, is among those likely to be given a breather tonight, having been an ever-present thus far, with other summer signings Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch, along with youngsters Harvey Elliott and Stefan Bajcetic, vying for a place in the engine room. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara, though, remain sidelined.
LASK, who are Liverpool’s 135th different opponent in Europe, were thumped 5-0 at home by Manchester United in 2019/20 in the Europa League but did manage a 3-3 draw when Tottenham Hotspur visited the following campaign.
It will be the biggest occasion yet for LASK’s new 19,080-capacity Raiffeisen Arena, which was opened in February. The Austrian side have lost only one of 10 games this season in all competitions and stand third in their domestic league behind Sturm Graz and leaders Salzburg.
“I know we are favourites and you like to play the game big club v small club,” says Klopp. “But we are here to play football and take this game seriously. We want to take the most of it. The stadium is wonderful, they opened it in February. We are not arrogant, we want to compete and win here.
“LASK are very stable, have a clear idea of football. They use wingers very well, use free-kicks very well. It’s not easy and if you let them play then they’ll use their opportunity. I was also in this role when (as a team) you can’t lose, so we have to be prepared.
“You have to be careful in everything. I saw their last three games. It will be a difficult game. What would I do if I were playing against Liverpool tomorrow? I would give everything so Liverpool would not enjoy to play against me.
“We have to be as motivated as they are and we are excited to play in the Europa League. I didn’t watch the Champions League yesterday, I didn’t miss the anthem. We deserve the Europa League like LASK do.”
