Jurgen Klopp Has 'No Problems' With Liverpool's Midfield Ahead of Merseyside Derby
A frustrated Jurgen Klopp has claimed he is happy with the Liverpool's midfielders, despite facing criticism from many of the team's fans after the Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Club captain Jordan Henderson has been targeted by some fans online after disappointing performances against PSG and Watford, with the 28-year-old being shown a red card against the latter. Fabinho, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum have also come under scrutiny from some fans and journalists, for a perceived lack of creativity.
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Speaking in his press conference ahead of the Merseyside derby on Sunday, Klopp rejected accusations that his midfielders aren't up to scratch.
He said, as posted on Liverpool's YouTube channel: "We’ve conceded five [league] goals and you talk about our midfield is overrun.
“Sorry, I didn’t see that, I heard about that. Yes, we could’ve scored more goals, creativity. No, I don’t see any problems in midfield.”
Klopp must decide which midfield three will start the Merseyside derby with Everton, with Henderson suspended for the match as a result of his dismissal against Watford. New signings Naby Keita and Fabinho will likely feature, despite both playing somewhat of a reserve role since their summer arrivals.
When asked whether the duo would be prepared for such an intense fixture, Klopp responded spikily: “Yeah, absolutely. The players had the whole week together. Most of the time, they talk to each other so they all know about it.
“[Henderson] is not available so what should I do? Ask the FA or what? I thought that I should choose a team where I think they are ready, to be honest.
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“Are they ready? We will see! We have to prove it. If I would say now, ‘I think we have a real problem with that, I don’t think we have enough time to make them ready for a derby’, what kind of idiot would I be?
“Ask a question where the answer is not clear on a plate. You ask a question, I say, ‘Yes, I think they are ready, but we have to prove it on Sunday’.”
