JAKARTA - Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp took a valuable lesson from Juventus and Bayern Munich, who were eliminated from the 2021/2022 Champions League knockout phase after facing Villarreal.
Liverpool will host Villarreal in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals. Ahead of the match which took place at the Anfield stadium on Thursday, April 28, WIB, Klopp insisted the Reds would not make the same mistake as Juventus and Munich.
"There may be a slight advantage (for Villarreal) where Juve or Bayern may underestimate them, but it won't happen to us. They want to be part of the final but it's just as important for us", Klopp said as quoted by Reuters on Wednesday.
Previously Villarreal was able to transform into a team full of surprises in the Champions League competition this season. Because Villarreal was able to eliminate two favorite clubs namely Juventus and Bayern in the knockout stages to reach their first Champions League semifinal in 16 years.
Seeing how Villarreal's fighting power is, the German coach did not hesitate to praise coach Unai Emery who he considers a world-class coach for being able to bring his team into different game situations.
"We have analyzed Villarreal well. I have a lot of respect for Unai (Emery) and them. I watched them well and wow! Impressive. He is a coach who is obsessed with details. Different ways to press and react to different results", added Klopp.
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On the other hand, Liverpool last appeared in the Champions League semifinals three years ago when they eliminated Barcelona. Now, when he can return to the semi-finals, Klopp says the support of the home fans will be very important for the players.
"We need the same atmosphere and great performances. I have to be at the top of my game, and so do the players, that's good. If the semifinals in this competition were easy, something must have gone wrong. I can't wait for it", he said.
"There are times when we will suffer and I know that. We don't need to be nervous, but we can also make them suffer", Klopp said of his optimism against Villarreal.
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