Jurgen Klopp explains what Liverpool must continue after Merseyside derby victory
By Tom Gott
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has challenged his side to maintain the intensity they showed in their recent Merseyside derby victory over Everton.
The Reds secured a much-needed 2-0 victory over their fierce rivals, ending a run of three games without a victory and picking up a win for just the second time in the last eight matches across all competitions.
With a tricky trip to Newcastle United on the agenda for Saturday, Klopp was asked whether Liverpool can start another unbeaten run and how they could improve their consistency.
"Yes I think [a run is possible]," Klopp said. "But we have to show it - you need to be stable to go through this kind of run, and that’s the difference at the moment.
“Last year [the unbeaten run] it was incredibly difficult - it’s always incredibly difficult to produce that. We weren’t always brilliant, we forced luck here and there. The intensity I loved the most from the Everton game. That was us. Not how much we were running but how intense we were in these moments.
“That creates the rhythm for us and now we have games every three days, but we've worked long enough again on endurance and everything so we should be ready.”
A run of 18 games without defeat, including ten straight victories, brought Liverpool within touching distance of the Premier League title last season. While such a feat may not be enough to secure glory this time around, Klopp argued that the Reds still have what it takes to make something from this troublesome season.
“Yes, it's a massive game, and it can change the whole narrative. We have to build on the performance at Everton, with the intensity we showed.
“We don’t think it will just happen, we have to make it happen. “We know we always find it difficult at Newcastle, but it must be much more difficult for Newcastle than it was for all the other teams we have visited in previous times."