talk of a dispute over Liverpool transfer policy is
wrong.
Jurgen Klopp has warned he is not a footballing "genius" as he
prepares to rebuild Liverpool into a side capable of challenging
for the Premier League title.
Klopp has already demanded "full-throttle football" from his side
as he looks to transform their "pessimism" into a winning
mentality after replacing Brendan Rodgers in the Anfield
hotseat.
While the 48-year-old has denied any disagreement over the
way in which Liverpool's transfer policy is conducted, he has
warned he cannot be expected to produce the Midas touch in
the market.
"It's a crazy discussion. We talked about it. For me, it's enough.
I have the first and the last word. In the middle, we discuss
things. We only want to talk about very good players," he said at
his unveiling on Friday.
"I'm not a genius. I don't know more than the rest of the world."
Klopp accepts that the challenge of winning the Premier League
is one of the greatest he will face but he insists his priority is to
develop Liverpool's winning mentality first.
"Now I'm back in the race. I can say it's the biggest honour I
can imagine, one of the biggest clubs in the world," he said.
"To be given this opportunity to try to help in a situation that's
not so difficult, I feel it's a good moment to come here, I feel
really proud.
"The intensity of the football, how they live football is what
attracted me. It's a special club, I had two very special clubs
with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund and this role is the perfect
next step for me.
"For sure the Premier League is one of the most difficult
because five, six, seven teams can win, but only one can be
champion.
"We have to develop. This will be a good moment to restart. It's
not important right now who the winner of the league will be,
nobody knows. It's only important that we play our own game,
that the players feel the confidence and trust.
"They have to feel they can reach the expectation of the fans,
the press. We have to start new together and we'll see what
happens. Nobody's satisfied at this moment but sometimes
that's only because you don't see the big step.
"Stop thinking about money. Right now, it's only about football.
You want to see fighting spirit."
When Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho first arrived in England in
2004, he described himself as the "Special One" but there was
no such self-confidence from Klopp.
"I am a totally normal guy from the Black Forest - I am the
normal one. I was a very average player and then I became a
coach at Mainz. Then the opportunity came to manage
Dortmund, a very special club, and after seven years it was best
to leave and now I'm here.
"I hope to enjoy my work because everyone has told me so
much about the English press. It's up to you guy
s to show me
it's all lies!"
Klopp is aware of Liverpool's rich tradition but is adamant it
should not be a burden to their future ambition, adding: "It's 25
years since Liverpool last won the title and many people have
tried since. You can't carry your history in your backpack all day
long. Now we have to start, not wait. I want to see the first step
next week but not always compare with other times.
"This is a great club with a really good team, good potential,
everything is there. Let's try to start a new way, this is the
perfect moment to do this - everything is different. Here is a
German guy for the first time. I don't know everything but I am a
pretty good listener. I will go to Melwood and see what works
and what doesn't work. It's time to restart."
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