After finishing the match against Fulham, Klopp encountered another headache.
Their opponent in the next round was Tottenham Hotspur.
A team in the upper half of the Champions League quarterfinals.
Although fans often mock Tottenham's trophy cabinet for being so clean it hasn't needed washing in a decade, one has to admit that while Tottenham has no championships, they are still a force to be reckoned with in the Premier League.
And.
Although Tottenham is definitely out of the Premier League title race this year, they are currently fourth in the league table, and could drop to fifth at any time.
You have to know, fourth place in the Premier League gets you a spot in the Champions League.
In other words, Tottenham will not give up this match easily.
As the league enters its later stages, every match becomes harder to play.
Just after Tendou's winner against Fulham, Pochettino had already spoken to the media.
"I am very optimistic about this Liverpool team. They have been able to score 7 goals in two legs against Bayern."
"If nothing unexpected happens, they will also win against Porto in the next round and enter the Champions League semi-finals. No matter who their semi-final opponent is, Liverpool is the strongest contender for the Champions League title."
Pochettino was strongly supporting Liverpool.
What was this guy's real intention?
Klopp could figure it out with his ass.
What did he mean by "if nothing unexpected happens"?
What did he mean by "strongest contender for the Champions League title"?
Wasn't this obviously telling Liverpool to hand Tottenham 3 points at White Hart Lane?
"Gaffer, your coffee."
At 12 AM, the assistant coach, Krawietz, knocked and opened the door to Klopp's office.
For so many years, Klopp had developed the habit of staying up late and drinking coffee.
Telling him to rest early?
After so many years, if he could be persuaded, then Klopp would not be the handsome man he is now.
They were one point behind in the league, and they were facing Tottenham.
The worst-case scenario is that the title race between Liverpool and Manchester City will go down to the final round.
On one side is the Champions League, on the other is the league.
He was unwilling to give up on either.
Fortunately, they had drawn Porto in the quarterfinals, and not teams like Manchester United, Barcelona, or Juventus.
This allowed Klopp to breathe a little easier.
The next day, Klopp announced his plan: they would not give up on either the league or the Champions League.
As Klopp had imagined, including Tendou, all the players were unwilling to give up on the league title that was within their grasp.
Because they really had a good chance this year.
Especially with the signing of TJ mid-season, it was simply a gift from God.
They had no reason to choose to give up.
...
And so, three days passed.
Premier League, Matchday 32. Liverpool faced Tottenham away.
The red bus carrying the entire Liverpool team drove into the inner tunnel of White Hart Lane.
As soon as the bus stopped, Klopp naturally hurried to the pre-match press conference hall at White Hart Lane, a place he was all too familiar with.
As he entered the room, the Argentine, Pochettino, was already sitting there with a cold face.
A war of words was probably inevitable.
"When I got the starting lineups for both teams, I knew that some people, after coming to the Premier League, are always winning the runner-up trophy. No guts, can't make a choice. The final result for such a guy can only be nothing."
Pochettino did not mention Klopp's name, but even a fool could tell that he was mocking him.
Because Klopp had not chosen to rotate any of his key players for this match.
They had just fought to the last minute against Fulham at Craven Cottage, and today, Liverpool was still at full strength.
Being attacked so directly, of course Klopp couldn't stand it.
"I don't know why Mauricio has to be so strict with himself. Although he hasn't won any championships since he started coaching, I think his work has been quite good."
You bastard.
You dare to curse me with achieving nothing, when you're the one who has truly achieved nothing.
As a player, Pochettino had won 2 Argentine league titles and 2 Copa del Rey titles in his career.
But as a head coach?
To this day, his trophy cabinet, like Tottenham's, was a big fat zero. His coaching resume was spotless.
And Klopp, he hadn't won a title since coming to the Premier League, but in his coaching career, he had at least two Bundesliga titles, one DFB-Pokal, and two Supercups.
To mock him for achieving nothing was definitely Pochettino's biggest mistake.
Hearing this, Pochettino's face immediately darkened.
He's referring to you this year. Are you trying to change the subject?
The twenty-minute pre-match press conference was over.
The on-site security personnel had even rolled up their sleeves, ready to separate the two old men who were arguing until their faces were red.
Is there any enmity between Liverpool and Tottenham?
Yes and no.
The teams the Liverpool fans hate the most will always be the two from Manchester.
The team the Tottenham fans hate the most is Arsenal, as the two London teams represent different social classes.
However, they are both in the Premier League and have always been major competitors. It's impossible not to have some bad blood.
After returning to the locker room, Klopp said directly, "If you can't win this match, your vacations will be canceled until the end of the season."
"What's wrong with the gaffer?"
"What else could it be? He must have gotten angry from the war of words with Pochettino."
Arnold shrugged casually.
An intense league competition is always accompanied by trash talk.
From the fans to the players, and from the players to the head coaches, it's the same all the way up and down.
After all, football is the modern war.
"I want you to mark that number 44! Do you understand?"
"We also have the Champions League, they also have the Champions League. We are not worse than them."
"You must mark TJ! I don't want to see him sending the ball to the feet of those three forks they use to eat!"
Defend.
Counter-attack.
Wing breakthroughs combined with crosses!
When Pochettino explained his tactics, the phrase he said the most was to mark Liverpool's number 44 tightly.
He had once had the chance to get this Asian prodigy.
But the damned Liverpool had cut in, causing him to miss out on this genius.
Of course, he knew that many teams were competing for Tendou, but in the end, it was Liverpool who got him, and that was enough.
"Hello everyone, and welcome to Matchday 32 of the Premier League."
"Tottenham Hotspur VS Liverpool!"
"The players from both teams are already in their respective halves!"
TWEEET!
"The referee has blown the whistle, and the match has begun!"
"Let's look at the starting lineups."
"Tottenham, in their white jerseys:"
"Goalkeeper: Lloris!"
"Defenders: Alderweireld, Sánchez, Vertonghen."
"Holding Midfielder: Sissoko."
"Midfielders: Trippier, Eriksen, Alli, Rose."
"Two Forwards: Lucas Moura, Adam Blake!"
"Pochettino has deployed a more defensive 3-1-4-2 formation. Facing the first-placed Liverpool, Tottenham has chosen a cautious strategy."
...
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