Jurgen Klopp press conference: Touchline ban; Injury updates; Man City relationship

Klopp has addressed the media
Klopp has addressed the media / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
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Jurgen Klopp has addressed the media ahead of Liverpool's meeting with West Ham on Wednesday.

The boss had to break the news that forward Diogo Jota will miss the World Cup as a result of the calf injury he picked up against Manchester City, but also had plenty of other updates to share ahead of the match.

Here's the highlights of Klopp's press conference.


Touchline ban

What happened with your red card against Man City? Have you been banned?

"I think I will be there [on the touchline] because nothing really has happened yet. I don't think something will happen, to be honest.

"I still think I should have dealt with the situation differently which I actually do usually. It was a very, very intense game that both managers didn't understand with some calls. In Germany, we say it's the one drop that let the bucket overflow.

"I am not happy with my reaction but that's the way it was. I was sitting after the game and spoke to Anthony Taylor, how he saw the game and how I did. It was a calm discussion. But we wait for the process."


Relationship with Man City

Do you think your comments after the Man City game have damaged the relationship between the two clubs?

"We don't have to be best friends with other clubs but I don't think anyone wants to be with us. It's normal competition. It started here with the question, I answered, the rest was made of it. I know what I thought. I said I respect what they are doing but my answer was still not right to some people.

"If a guy throws a coin it's a massive mistake. It was a brilliant performance against incredibly strong side in a super intense game. I saw situations I don't want to see in a football game. We have to save the players as well. It's a really important job that the referees have."

How important was it to beat City?

"My English is not good enough to express how important it was.

"From all different perspectives, it was the performance we needed. It was the way we had to defend, we had to commit... I don't want to cut out our supporters, what they did this season is exceptional. A very emotional crowd.

"Our fans understood quickly it was not a smooth start to the season, how they reacted and perform, not only in home games but away games, is exceptional. Special.

"To win, it was massive. You can lose this game 1-0 and play exactly the same game."


Darwin Nunez

We've seen some dangerous signs from Nunez. West Ham have their own striker, Scamacca, who is finding his feet. Does that show how difficult it is to adjust to the Premier League?

"Obviously, it's difficult. We have this discussion almost every time we sign somebody. You have exceptions - Virgil [van Dijk] stepped in and was there, Mo [Salah] pretty much as well, Sadio [Mane]... - but some of the other boys had to adapt.

"We should not forget how young Darwin is, and how fast his career moved before. It's completely normal. The Premier League is the strongest league in the world, and the most competitive.

"On top of that, for both strikers, it was the same. Both teams didn't start well, which isn't helpful for a striker. But I like his impact. He's a machine. Physically, incredibly strong, he gets better every day in training. You can see how he settles more and more. Mentally, he's in the team 100%. He's arrived completely."


West Ham

How important is the West Ham game?

"When you create a start like we created, we're at the moment in the season that, from now on, they are all finals. We realised that a few weeks ago. I don't think you can give it more importance than we already put in.

"We respect West Ham a lot, caused us a lot of problems here and there. They have really quality players. Michail Antonio played 80 games in the past and now they can share that up front. [Lucas] Paqueta, great player. [Thilo] Kehrer, I know from Germany, top class defender. Just to name a few."

Any other team news?

"I think all the other players who started the game are available again.

"Curtis [Jones] was on the bench. It was clear we weren't going to bring him on, but we had the space. He looks good in training but he needs further training until he's available. But he didn't train yesterday.

"[Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] was in full team training yesterday. But that needs time. He's been out for a while and now we have to make sure he can get all the sessions that he needs.

"Naby [Keita] is now in parts of team training. Ibou [Ibrahima Konate] is not in team training yet but we knew he wouldn't be out long, maybe ten days until he can start training again. Maybe Saturday.

"Joel [Matip] is still a bit away and, of course, Luis [Diaz] is not even close.

"Calvin [Ramsey] is completely back in training. He had a little setback, got hit on the ankle, but I think he's ready to play with the Under-23s at the weekend."