Bouyant boss Jurgen Klopp insists there is NO gulf in class between his Liverpool side and Rangers – and predicted a battle royal at Ibrox next week.
Liverpool won Tuesday night’s Champions League clash at Anfield more comfortably than the 2-0 scoreline suggests but the Merseyside boss is convinced his team will have to be even better when they turn up in Govan a week today. He said: “We know next week we come to Rangers and we will respect them a lot. It is a different game and a different occasion. We are kind of half way through. Top result, tough game, the fight was good. We go from here.”
Asked if there was an obvious gulf in quality between sides who finished second in England and Scotland respectively last season, the German insisted: “No. I don’t recognise that. Rangers is a really good team doing really well who had an exceptional season in Europe last season and were unlucky when they lost the final. They then qualified for the Champions League.
“It is all possible. You can’t have it all in one. You have to have time to adapt in Europe. I am not sure if this is the wrong press conference to say the word Celtic. But both of these clubs made a big step in the last few years.
“And if you want you can talk about the gulf but you saw how close they came and that’s the way I would look at it.”
Jordan Henderson insisted Rangers caught his Liverpool side on a good night.
The Anfield captain said: “I felt we played some really good stuff. The intensity levels were there.
“Overall we have to be happy with the performance. The first half felt good, intensity, energy, winning the ball back high up. Winning tackles and getting the ball.
“We have to be really pleased and it’s a step in the right direction. We focused on what we needed to do. We had an idea they might play five at the back. Whether it’s four or five, you have to try and adapt a little bit to the situation in the game, but we want to press with intensity.
“I felt we picked and chose the right moments to press today. We went and got the ball back which is important.”
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