Jurgen Klopp is confident Liverpool can cope with the rigours of competing for domestic and European crowns. The Reds, currently second in the Premier League, host Atalanta in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final. The tournament is the only competition that Klopp has not won since arriving on Merseyside nearly nine years ago. And he says he is desperate to win it this season.
The Reds currently sit in second place in the top flight after a 2-2 draw against Manchester United at the weekend.
But attentions turn to Europe this week, as Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta visit Anfield for the first leg of their quarter-final tie, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
Klopp has exclusively told TNT Sports that they will not be taking their eye off the ball domestically.
“We don’t need distractions, really,” he insists. “The Premier League, let me say again, before the season, nobody expected us to be where we are now. That’s the truth.
“I don’t think anybody said ‘let’s have a look at what Liverpool can do’ after the season we played. I understand that. We had a lot of new players coming in. Nobody knew exactly how it would work out.