Liverpool are already quite the force to be reckoned with as things currently stand, having leapfrogged Manchester City in the league table.

Didi Hamann reckons his old side could go up a gear, however, if Darwin Nunez can manage to further refine his game.

“They’re a well-drilled machine. They have the mentality. They find ways to win games,” the German spoke on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast. “And Nunez hasn’t really hit the ground running – when he starts scoring, I think Liverpool will be a force. I can see them going all the way, yes.”

The 24-year-old failed to hit the back of the net in the 4-3 win over Fulham and hasn’t registered a goal or assist in his last three games in all competitions.

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Should Liverpool be worried about Nunez?

Goodness gracious, no!

Even with a blank in three games, the Uruguayan still finds himself on an appealing 13 goal contributions in 20 games.

As far as contributions per minute are concerned, Nunez is operating at a goal or assist every 83.15 minutes.

Whilst that figure has most certainly seen better days this season alone, there can be no questioning the fact that the former Benfica man continues to offer something of value to this Liverpool side even when he isn’t fulfilling his traditional objective.

There were two pre-assists for our third and final goal against the Cottagers for instance, with the centre-forward knocking down the ball Mo Salah would tee up for Wataru Endo before playing a dangerous ball back into the box ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s winner.

That’s also whilst overlooking how close our No.9 came to hitting the back of the net at Anfield, striking the woodwork in the second-half.

We can point the finger at the big chances missed – and, of course, Nunez still has some growing to do – but there’s still plenty to enjoy.

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Didi Hamann has praised one Liverpool player for quickly becoming ‘an integral part’ of Jurgen Klopp’s side, managing to put ‘a messed-up year’ behind him.

Ryan Gravenberch was the last of the Reds’ four summer signings, joining only a couple of hours before the transfer deadline, and has impressed with his performances so far at Anfield.

He’s already had as many Premier League starts for Jurgen Klopp’s side as he made in the Bundesliga in just over a year at his previous club Bayern Munich (WhoScored), with the 21-year-old keen to make up for lost time.

Speaking to German outlet TZ, Hamann said: “Gravenberch is doing it outstandingly so far. It’s almost unbelievable that he was barely used at Bayern under two managers. People always used to ask me what it was like. I couldn’t say because he never played for Bayern. Now in Liverpool you can see what he can do.

“Gravenberch has a good physical presence, a decent finish and also a certain pace. When you see him at Liverpool you really wonder why he didn’t play a role at Bayern.

“After what had been a messed-up year for him, it was clear that he wanted to make a fresh start. From my point of view, he seems to be a good character. I can’t imagine that he allowed himself to be hanged in Munich. And now he is an integral part of a class team at Liverpool.”

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When looking at how Gravenberch has performed so far at Liverpool, it does beg the question as to why he was routinely overlooked by both Julian Nagelsmann and Thomas Tuchel at Bayern.

It wasn’t until the Merseyside derby last month that the Dutchman made his first Premier League start (WhoScored), but he’d just been beginning to nail down a consistent berth until a minor injury ruled him out of the win over Brentford just over the international break.

With almost a full midfield at Klopp’s disposal for the trip to Manchester City today, apart from long-term absentees Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, the 21-year-old faces greater competition to be included among the starting line-up this afternoon.

Still, at least he’s been getting a fairer crack of the whip for Liverpool than he ever had at Bayern, and if he can keep building upon his displays in his first three months at Anfield, the Allianz Arena hierarchy must surely be questioning the decision to sell him for a modest £34m (The Times).

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Dietmar Hamann has namechecked one player from a positional rival that he feels Liverpool should consider in the summer transfer window.

The former Reds midfielder was speaking to the i Paper when he singled out Newcastle United’s Joelinton as a player he’d like to see at Anfield.

The German stated: “I’d like a player like Joelinton from Newcastle, who’s got a physical presence. The players Liverpool have got are all very similar, and if you look at the size of the Newcastle team – size isn’t everything, but when you stand in the tunnel and see these guys you think, ‘Wow’, because they’re not just big, they can play as well.

“I would like a player of Joelinton’s stature, who can make a goal, has got a physical presence, is good on the ball, is just an all-round player, and hasn’t got too many defensive responsibilities with one player behind him. A player with a physical presence would suit Liverpool very well.”

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Signed for £40m in 2019 (BBC Sport), Joelinton started off as a striker at Newcastle but has since been successfully redeployed in a midfield role by Eddie Howe.

He’s been one of their best-performing players in seeing off Liverpool for a Champions League qualification berth, posting the Magpies’ second-highest WhoScored rating of the season and starting 30 Premier League games in his side’s successful pursuit of a top-four finish.

Hamann’s point about the 6 foot 2 Brazilian’s physicality is backed up by statistics from FBref, with the 26-year-old particularly strong in the air. He’s won 2.23 aerial duels per game over the past 12 months, placing him among the top 6% of midfielders in Europe’s five main leagues for that metric.

There have been times over the past few months where Liverpool’s midfield looked worryingly lightweight, so adding a ‘physical presence’ such as Joelinton may help in that regard, while his tally of eight goals this term (Transfermarkt) also suggests he could chip in with a potent attacking threat.

There probably wouldn’t have been too many of a red persuasion talking him up as a possible target during his difficult first two years at Newcastle, but Hamann’s recommendation for Jurgen Klopp to consider the rejuvenated midfield man certainly has merit.

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Didi Hamann has explained that he doesn’t ‘expect Liverpool to hit the ground running next season’ even if they complete some quality transfer business this summer.

After watching his side struggle for consistency and fail to win any silverware this term it’s expected that Jurgen Klopp will be extremely busy in the transfer market as he seeks to overhaul his squad ahead of next season.

Midfield is believed to be the main area of concern for the German tactician and ex-Red Hamann was keen to stress it’ll take time for any new signings to ‘adapt’ to life at Anfield.

“I don’t expect Liverpool to hit the ground running next season,” he told AceOdds.com (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo).

“It won’t be straight forward if people think, oh, we’ll bring Mount or maybe Rice, or bring this player in, Gravenberch. When we’ve got these players, when these players come into a settled side, it takes time to adapt.

Despite initially making Jude Bellingham their number one transfer target for the summer it’s been reported recently that Klopp has now turned his attention away from signing the Borussia Dortmund star and will instead target cheaper options such as Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch and Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister – a decision that the former Germany international was keen to weigh in on.

“You need to see how much money they’ve got to spend,” he added.

“If you’ve got, I don’t know, they probably need £200/£250 million in the summer, and I’m not even sure that Klopp will get that amount of money.

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“Now, if you were to get it, you’ve got to set half the money away apart for Jude Bellingham. As I said, they probably need five or six players in the summer. So to spend half the money, even more of the budget, on one player, I don’t think is a wise move. He’s a very talented player. I think he’s got a long way to go.

“I think it was right (not pursuing Jude Bellingham). The only question is where did all that talk come from that Liverpool wants him or is in for him or saved the money last season? I’m not sure that it’s ever been the case.

“But I think if they haven’t got the funds, which they haven’t, to compete with some of the clubs in England and also in France maybe or Spain, I think it was the right move.”

It’s clear that fresh legs and reinforcements are needed in our squad if we’re to once again compete on all four fronts next term.

It was a huge blow and a surprise to hear that we’ve ended our pursuit of Bellingham after being linked with him for over a year but if we can bring in two or three other quality additions for a similar amount of money then it may not be the end of the world.

We have faith in Klopp and Co. to complete the right business in the coming months to ensure the silverware keeps on coming to L4.

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As a former Liverpool player and a compatriot of Jurgen Klopp, you’d perhaps expect Didi Hamann to show his support for our German tactician despite our struggle for consistency this term.

The 49-year-old, however, has suggested that the former Borussia Dortmund boss may call it a day at Anfield next season due to the fact that he doesn’t receive the financial backing on Merseyside that he would at most other big clubs.

Already out of all three cup competitions and struggling to achieve a top four finish, the Reds are experiencing a dismal campaign so far and Hamann cannot see things improving next season.

“I’m afraid that if Klopp decides to continue, it won’t be better next year because the owners in Liverpool never spend the money like other clubs,” our former No. 16 told Sky90 (via Rousing The Kop).

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“He didn’t deserve that and this wonderful marriage between Liverpool and Klopp didn’t deserve that. That’s why the best thing for both sides would be to make a cut in the summer.

“If you listen to Klopp like this: He wants to do it [carry on], he thinks he can do it – but I have big concerns.”

Liverpool are expected to spend big this summer with Klopp’s side in urgent need of a overhaul – especially in midfield.

‘Priority’ transfer target Jude Bellingham, who is also attracting interest from Real Madrid and Manchester City, is expected to cost more than £100m while other positions also need reinforcements adding ahead of next season.

Reliable journalist Christian Falk claimed at the beginning of the year that FSG are willing to spend between £200-250m this summer on strengthening the squad but if we do fail to achieve a top four finish it’ll be interesting to see if they’re still willing to splash the cash.

The American owners have adopted a somewhat ‘sell before we buy’ strategy since taking charge of the L4 outfit in 2010 and so far our German tactician has managed to work wonders on a smaller budget compared to other Premier League outfits such as Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea.

It’ll be interesting to see what sort of business we complete in the coming months but we certainly remain confident that Klopp is the right main to get us back to our best.

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The post ‘Big concerns’ – Hamann explains why Liverpool ‘won’t be better next year’; tips important figure to leave this summer appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Didi Hamann has urged Jurgen Klopp to apologise to James Pearce following his refusal to answer the journalist’s questions during the post-Wolves press conference.

The reporter had been snubbed by the manager in the wake of the 3-0 defeat at the Molineux with the latter citing the Athletic man’s prior writing on the club as a factor.

“I think the least James deserves is an apology,” the German told talkSPORT.

“This club is based on respect and I think there’s a time when someone in the club has to say to him ‘this is Liverpool Football Club, we can’t do this’.

“We have respect campaigns in the Premier League, we have campaigns against bullying and you can’t have the Liverpool manager behave the way he did.

“I feel that no-one in the club has the bottle to tell him, which I think they should.”

Whether the German will continue his embargo against the individual in future pressers remains to be seen, though it’s clear that the issue is a personal one for the former Borussia Dortmund boss.

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We can see where our ex-Red is coming from, as journalists simply shouldn’t be prevented from performing their roles nor humiliated in front of their colleagues.

Equally, of course, given that Klopp was prepared to tolerate Pearce’s question from another report, it’s abundantly clear that the tension discussion of his side’s poor form.

Until further details come out to clarify the conflict between the two, however, it’s critical that journalists feel empowered to keep asking the difficult questions without fear of losing access.

You can catch the clip below, courtesy of @talkSPORT:

“The least he deserves is an apology!”

“#LFC is a club based on respect. He has to be told. I feel no-one has the bottle!”

Didi Hamann demands Klopp apologises for refusing to talk to journalist, James Pearce. pic.twitter.com/rMXEHuahS9

— talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) February 6, 2023

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Liverpool fans will be watching transfer deadline day from afar, knowing that it’s highly unlikely that Jurgen Klopp will be completing any incoming transfers and Didi Hamann has appeared to administer blame for this fact.

Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Red responded to a question asking whether our boss is too loyal to his players and said: “I think at times, his hands were forced because he hasn’t got any money to spend and he hasn’t really got an option but to stand by his players”.

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It seems a very clear suggestion from the German that he thinks our owners haven’t provided our manager with the required funds in order for him to refresh and replenish the squad – leading to him having to be more loyal to players than he otherwise may have been.

If you look on social media, it’s not too hard to find many people who will also think that FSG and John Henry aren’t funding the club in a way that befits where we all want to see the Reds be.

You can watch the video of Hamman’s thoughts via @SkySportsPL on Twitter:

"They just played to the height of their ability and their limits for the last five seasons"

What is going wrong at Liverpool? pic.twitter.com/jOhVG2UsXc

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 31, 2023

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The post (Video) Didi Hamann knows who’s to blame for Liverpool slump as Klopp point made appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Jurgen Klopp did not take too kindly to being asked a question about Didi Hamann’s thoughts on his Liverpool side.

One journalist quoted the former midfielder’s comments about the Reds needing ‘a spark’ after the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal, inspiring the former Mainz coach to call for a differently phrased query.

“Oh great, he’s a fantastic source. Well-respected everywhere,” the German responded to the reporter in question. “I actually think that Didi Hamann doesn’t deserve that you use his phrase to ask me a question. Do me a favour and ask your own question.”

Jurgen Klopp unamused at being asked about comments made by former Reds midfielder Didi Hamann about Liverpool needing "a spark"

"Oh great, a fantastic source. Well respected everywhere."#LFC

— Neil Jones (@neiljonesgoal) October 11, 2022

The Merseysiders found themselves on the wrong end of a couple of poor officiating calls in North London with the spotlight shining on an apparent Gabriel handball and the Gunners’ opener.

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Hamann isn’t everyone’s cup of tea at Anfield of late and understandably so given his at times controversial takes.

For those who may have forgotten, it was the German who boldly claimed that playmaker Thiago Alcantara ‘is one of the most overrated players in European football’ – an objectively laughable take on one of the most naturally gifted midfielders in world football.

It’s comments like that which will have probably brought the pundit down in Klopp’s estimations and rightly so, if that’s the case.

You can catch the full press conference below, courtesy of Liverpool’s YouTube channel:

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The post ‘Do me a favour’ – Klopp refuses to answer Didi Hamann question ahead of Rangers appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Dissecting Liverpool’s poor form has invited a plethora of bizarre excuses and explanations online, with the most strange yet coming in a joking tweet from rapper KSI.

That may have very well been beaten by a far more serious comment on the social media platform from ex-Red Didi Hamann, who suggested that Pep Lijnders’ book had influenced a collapse in performance levels.

The alarm bells should have been ringing for @LFC fans when the current assistant manager wrote a book while still employed by the club. How he was allowed to do it I’m not too sure

— Didi Hamann (@DietmarHamann) September 8, 2022

We can understand the temptation to point fingers at ‘Intensity: Inside Liverpool FC’, the story about the Reds’ footballing identity under Jurgen Klopp.

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However, the notion that opposition managers have been pouring over the piece of work, which has allegedly divulged all of Liverpool’s secrets is absolute poppycock, to put it lightly.

If it’s not obvious to all how we generally tend to approach a game, it never will be – the high line, aggressive pressing in the final third and roaming fullbacks are all key parts of our game that are widely known to clubs domestically and abroad.

We’ve not been ‘figured out’ – we’ve categorically lost our way, our grit, our identity.

The return of key men may very well help paper over the glaring cracks but we must find a way to rediscover that individual spark. Our intensity.

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The post Didi Hamann’s theory behind Liverpool’s poor form will surprise fans: ‘Alarm bells should have been ringing’ appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Didi Hamann was not in the slightest bit impressed by Richarlison’s showboating during Tottenham’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.

The Brazilian international didn’t take the criticism well online, however, responding with ‘cry more’ on Twitter.

Cry more

— Richarlison Andrade (@richarlison97) August 29, 2022

The former Everton man had been caught juggling the ball during the encounter with Steve Cooper’s promoted outfit – an action the ex-Red suggested should have earnt the attacker a booking.

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To be completely fair, it’s the kind of showboating that would probably go down quite well at Anfield if a Liverpool player had attempted to waste time to ensure a win, though we can certainly understand the frustration around it from an opposition perspective.

Even though Richarlison is far from being a popular figure on the red half of Merseyside, the idea that players should be booked for showboating is perhaps going a step too far.

It’s a suggestion we can’t see the FA being keen to implement any time soon – let’s put it that way!

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Didi Hamann has claimed the fact that Liverpool are still in contention to win all four trophies at this point in the season shows how ‘brilliant’ Jurgen Klopp’s side is.

Following their Carabao Cup success in February, the Reds are also looking strong in their pursuit of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

“I’m not sure whether it’s realistic but to be in mid-April and still have the chance to win all four trophies shows what a brilliant side they are,” he told Sky Sports (via Rousing The Kop).

“They’re just great to watch. They’ve got a unity and a togetherness like I’ve never seen before and obviously they’ve got some very talented players in their side.

“I think it would be historical. They’ve got a long way to go but I don’t think it’ll ever be done again.

“No team’s done it yet, Liverpool could be the first one and if they were to do it, I think, without a question, it would be the greatest achievement not just in English football but internationally, as well.”

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No team has ever done the quadruple, Hamann is right, and if we were to do it this season, with a team as strong as Manchester City competing with us, it would be truly special.

It’s the Cityzens that are posing the main threat to our hopes, as we are to theirs too.

We face them in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley tomorrow, remain one point behind them in the Premier League with seven games to play and have the potential of meeting them in the Champions League final if we can defeat Villarreal in the semis and they can beat Real Madrid.

We’re dominating English football and have the potential to dominate European football.

Klopp has worked wonders at the club and the next few weeks have the potential to be some of the best in the club’s history.

The post Didi Hamann expresses his joy at watching Liverpool play and discusses the side’s chances of completing a historic quadruple appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Didi Hamann has claimed that ‘you cannot compare’ Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp and claimed the silverware that the Spaniard has won as Manchester City boss ‘has not been enough’.

The 51-year-old former Barcelona boss failed to win the Champions League with Bayern Munich and is yet to do so with the Premier League club, and because of this, Hamann has claimed that the former Borussia Dortmund boss is, therefore, the better manager after lifting the trophy with the Reds in 2019.

“If you look at what Carlo Ancelotti has done over the last 20 years with the clubs he won the Champions League with, Mourinho won it with Inter Milan and before that with Porto,” Hamann told talkSPORT.

“Pep won it with Barcelona, but in Munich he took over a Champions League winning side and was there for three years and didn’t get to the final, he got knocked out of the semis three times – and two or three years after he left they won it again!

“My point is that he hasn’t done anything somebody else before him hasn’t done already.

“If you look at Klopp, he took Borussia Dortmund to a Champions League final and the Bundesliga title – which hasn’t been done since.

“And obviously he won the league for the first time in 30 years for Liverpool – he really galvanised that football club.

“I just don’t think you can compare them. I think what Klopp has done at Liverpool rates far higher than what Guardiola has done at City.

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Hamann commended Klopp for his ability to regularly challenge Guardiola’s side despite there being a huge difference between the money each club has spent.

The German also explained that Guardiola has ‘always managed the best teams’ and had significant financial backing from the club’s owners.

“Everybody is going on about Guardiola that he’s the Godfather of managers, but if you actually look at his record over the last three years – yes he’s done great with City to get 100 points in a season, but Klopp didn’t spend half the money, he’s probably spent a quarter of the money and they have been running them close with 98 or 99 points, and this season it’s the same thing.

“Pep has spent nearly half a billion on centre-backs alone, and obviously last year they got to the Champions League final and I’ve got to say he lost the final, because he didn’t play Rodri.

“So I don’t understand how people can say ‘what Guardiola has done for football’. Yes, they might play a different brand, but then again, if he hadn’t had Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and Lionel Messi in his Barcelona team, he probably couldn’t have played that way.

“He has always managed the best teams and for the clubs he’s managed, and the teams he’s had and the money he’s spent over the years, I think it’s not enough.”

Guardiola has won the Premier League in three of the last four seasons, as well as picking up an FA Cup in 2018/19. The Spaniard has also won for League Cup trophies.

Meanwhile, Klopp has won a Premier League title, the Champions League, Super Cup, World Club Cup and League Cup during his time on Merseyside.

The FA Cup is the one trophy still missing from our boss’s trophy cabinet – he’ll be looking to take a huge step closer to getting his hand on the silverware when we face City at Wembley in the semi-final on Saturday.

Firstly, though, we need to ensure we progress through to the semi-final of Europe’s premier competition when we host Benfica at Anfield on Wednesday.

We hold a 3-1 lead over the Portuguese outfit after the first leg in Lisbon last week.

The post ‘My point is’ – Didi Hamann explains why he views Jurgen Klopp as a better manager than Pep Guardiola appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Didi Hamann has claimed that weaknesses in Liverpool’s squad make Manchester City strong favourites to go on and lift the Premier League title this season.

The Reds travelled to the Etihad yesterday and played out a pulsating 2-2 draw with Pep Guardiola’s side, and whilst the German was reviewing the game for talkSPORT, he claimed the Cityzen’s strength in depth give them an advantage over Liverpool.

“What’s in City’s favour is obviously the bench they’ve got and the squad they’ve got,” said Hamman (as quoted by Rousing The Kop).

“If you look at Liverpool’s bench yesterday, there was Keita, who has been indifferent since he came to the club, then Diaz came on.

“Firmino looks off at the moment, he’s not really an option I don’t think. So off the bench they’ve (City) got more options, they can rotate the squad more than Liverpool can.”

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The comments are rather surprising from Hamann considering that Jurgen Klopp now appears to have more squad depth than ever before during his time at the club.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi were not even a part of the matchday squad yesterday which does point to some sort of strength in depth for Liverpool.

The signing of Luis Diaz has had a huge impact on the Liverpool side and we now have more quality options than ever in the attacking department.

Naby Keita hasn’t yet reached his full potential in a red shirt but has shown glimpses.

We’d argue that Bobby Firmino doesn’t necessarily look ‘off’ at the moment as our former midfielder has claimed, but many would suggest that he no longer finds a spot in Klopp’s strongest XI.

To claim he’s ‘not really an option’ is rather harsh when you take into consideration that the Brazilian has missed a lot of games through injury recently but still has nine goals and four assists to his name in 29 appearances so far this season (across all competitions).

Guardiola’s side do have serious strength in depth, that’s clear for all to see, but you can only field 11 players at a time and we’re proving that we certainly match them.

With just seven games to go, yesterday’s result did suit the Manchester outfit more than it suited us, but as captain Jordan Henderson claimed following the game, we will give it everything.

The post Didi Hamann claims Manchester City’s squad depth gives them an advantage over Liverpool and singles out one of Jurgen Klopp’s stars that ‘looks off at the moment’ appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Didi Hamann has urged Liverpool to ‘take it one game at a time’ as they remain in contention to complete a historic quadruple but believes Jurgen Klopp won’t have singled any one trophy out as a ‘priority’.

The Reds are in the process of navigating their way through a tricky April schedule which has already seen them defeat Watford and Benfica, but with the return leg against the Portuguese side still to come as well as two games against Manchester City and league clashes with Manchester United and Everton on the horizon, Klopp’s side need to remain focused.

Hamann also highlighted two players that need to stay fit for the Anfield outfit if they are to taste as much success as they are hoping for this season.

“I’m not sure if there is a priority. Obviously, Jurgen Klopp has never won the FA Cup,” Hamann told the Liverpool ECHO.

“At the same time, if you can be a multiple Premier League and Champions League winner, he’ll probably go down in history more than if he won the FA Cup.

“You just have to take it one game at a time. If you hadn’t won the Premier League or Champions League then you can prioritise one of them – which will be the case for Manchester City, they will want to win the Champions League.

“In Liverpool’s case, they’ve won everything. They’d have to beat City in the league and FA Cup to win them and possibly in the Champions League as well.

“I don’t think there have been too many clubs in recent history who had a chance in April to do it. Obviously, they have to do it the hard way. They’re still behind in the league.

“In the Champions League, they’ve got a reasonable draw. For the moment I would favour Liverpool. To do it, it’s a hectic schedule, there’s a lot of games, you have to keep your players fit.

“Salah is coming back from disappointment with not qualifying for the World Cup, so you need to see if that’s going to impact him and then you could lose one or two players through injury, which would change a lot. If you get an injury to Fabinho or Van Dijk then things would look different.”

READ MORE: Mark Lawrenson explains why Liverpool may have an advantage over Manchester City heading into Sunday’s huge top of the table clash

Hamann is right, we do need some luck with injuries in the coming weeks to ensure that we can field our strongest XI, but that’s the case for every team.

We now have more squad depth than ever under Klopp meaning that we won’t feel the impact of injuries as heavily as we would’ve done previously.

Of course, the FA Cup is the one trophy that our German boss is yet to win at the club tasting success in that competition would be great, but he’s made his feelings towards the cup competitions clear in the past.

Premier League and/or Champions League success is rated much higher than the domestic cup competitions, but with us being in contention for three more trophies this season, another two should be the minimum.

Winning the league back in 2020 was special, but it was obviously behind closed doors due to the pandemic.

It would mean so much to both the players and the fans to celebrate winning the title properly this time around.

We are in a great position to write yet more history this season but we need to take it one game at a time as Hamann has rightly pointed out.

#Ep43 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Should Salah be dropped v Man City? Keita contract… and more!

The post Didi Hamann claims Jurgen Klopp won’t have singled any trophy out as a ‘priority’ and urges Liverpool to ‘take it one game at a time’ in their hunt for a quadruple appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.

Didi Hamann has backed Liverpool to earn all three points against Manchester City on Sunday with the German claiming the Reds ‘have a swagger about them’ at the moment.

Jurgen Klopp’s side defeated Benfica 3-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday night whilst the Cityzens earned a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.

And Hamann, who played for both Liverpool and City during his career, has claimed Pep Guardiola’s side ‘can only play one way’ and hinted that the Anfield outfit may have too much attacking quality for the Sky Blues.

“Well if you look at Liverpool in recent weeks I think they’ve got a swagger about them, they’ve got a confidence about them,” he told talkSPORT (via the Metro).

“Yesterday [against Benfica] they played a good first half then had an iffy, fragile half an hour, but they still found a way to score the third goal.

“Even though Klopp doesn’t say it, that probably does put the tie to bed and I just think that defensively they’re probably a bit more solid [than City].

READ MORE: Sepp van den Berg on the ‘successful’ season he’s had at Preston North End on loan from Liverpool

Victory for Liverpool would take them two points clear of City with just seven league games remaining this term, and Hamann believes Klopp’s side can pip them to the title.

“Whether it’s enough to win the league in the end remains to be seen because obviously if they do draw the game on Sunday it’s still not in their hands to win the league,” he added.

“But I’ve got to say that I quietly fancy Liverpool because for me there’s just not a better team around.”

The game on Sunday almost has a winner takes all feel to it.

If City were to beat us and extend their lead to four points, it’d be unlikely for them to go on and drop that many points in the seven remaining league games.

We’ve developed a nack of winning games without performing well recently but we will have to be right on it in Manchester at the weekend to ensure we come away with something from the game.

It’s going to be exciting, isn’t it?

#Ep43 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Should Salah be dropped v Man City? Keita contract… and more!

The post ‘They’ve got a swagger about them’ – Didi Hamann weighs in on Liverpool’s huge clash with Manchester City on Sunday appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.