Long before Istanbul there was the Miracle of Bern and Jürgen Klopp believes Liverpool should heed a warning from history when they host Maribor on Wednesday. In the Champions League, the Liverpool manager insists, there are no foregone conclusions, even against an opponent humiliated 7-0.
Liverpool recorded the biggest away win in their European history against the Slovenian champions two weeks ago – indeed the biggest by any English team away in the European Cup – but Klopp claims he will be content with a 1-0 victory in the return. He cited West Germany’s 3-2 win over Hungary in the 1954 World Cup final as a reason why. Germany secured their first World Cup not only after trailing 2-0 in Bern but having lost 8-3 to the Mighty Magyars in the first round of the tournament. Klopp will use a 63-year-old history lesson to guard against complacency at Anfield.
“I am from Germany so I know in 1954 we lost against Hungary in the group stage really clear and then won the World Cup final,” he recalled with unmistakable pride. “Nobody would have expected that. That’s football. That is how I learned it pretty early in my life. It’s always possible. It’s all about our performance.
“We have to use the little advantage of being the home team, using the crowd, being spot-on again, but we did so well in Maribor and that was the reason for the result – not the quality of the opponent. At the end it looked like a big difference but it was only because of our start. We have to do that again. Being there from the first second should be easy to understand for the boys because we lost points in the first two games of the group. Everybody is close together. Nobody knows how the other game will be so we need to use this opportunity for us to win the home game and be in a better position.”
The Liverpool manager believes a more recent event – Saturday’s 3-0 defeat of a defensive Huddersfield Town – should serve as ideal preparation for facing Maribor, who had to train late at Anfield on Tuesday due to a delayed flight. Darko Milanic’s team conceded seven goals in 86 minutes to Liverpool having conceded only four times in 10 domestic home matches all season. And Klopp claims their domestic form – unbeaten after 14 games and joint-top of the league with Olimpija Ljubljana – is a more accurate reflection of their quality than the chaotic, careless display served up in the first encounter with Liverpool.
Klopp added: “Since we played them they won and they are first, level on points. They are usually really well organised but it is a football playing side and I don’t think they can change this much. The last game against Huddersfield will be a good reference for us. Yes, they will be organised, they will not open any gaps for us, they will not make it easy for us, they will fight for each yard and that’s clear.
“We have to do like we did in the first game. Two or three of the goals were because of our pressing situations, when they played and we jumped in, the first goal especially when Mo [Mohamed Salah] put the left-back under pressure with his speed. I don’t expect a lot of easy spaces. We will have to work for this. If anyone is expecting something like this [7-0 again] I cannot change that.
“We have three more games, nine points, we had the first two games with good performances but not enough points, so there is nothing to waste now. We have to be and we will be 100% serious. I will make sure of that. If we win at the end 1-0 I am completely happy about it because it means we have three more points.”
Philippe Coutinho and Dejan Lovren did not train with the rest of the Liverpool squad on Tuesday due to an abductor and thigh injury respectively.