Jurgen Klopp admits his side need trophies to join list of great Liverpool teams
- Planet Sport writer
- 25 February 2022
This Sunday, Jurgen Klopp will be targeting the fifth trophy of his Liverpool tenure as the Reds take on Chelsea in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final.
The German manager has already conquered the Premier League and Champions League during his reign, but he also admits that his side need to win more silverware in order to join the long list of great Liverpool teams.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's trip to Wembley, Klopp said: "We all know that in the moment, the people are really happy (with the team).
"But in 20 years if you want to talk about this team, I would not be surprised if people would then say if we don't win anything any more, 'Yeah they were good, but they should have won more'.
"That's why we should try now to win a few things. And the next chance, the best chance we have this weekend, is against Chelsea when it's really tricky."
Liverpool have previously come under fire for fielding under strength teams in the competition.
However, a look at his record shows he also reached the semi-final in 2017 and the quarter-finals in 2020, having gone out to Premier League opponents Chelsea, Leicester, Arsenal and Aston Villa in other seasons.
So how much more satisfaction would Klopp take from winning the competition to silence his critics?
"I don't take that, no. It makes me happier than you can imagine, but no, it would not be extra.
"It was absolutely never the case (not taking the competition seriously).
"I don't think we ever could have lined up differently in the specific games considering the intensity of the schedule around it. That's it.
"I'm sure since we worked together you thought once or twice that I couldn't be bothered about the Carabao Cup, I know that.
"I wish you would have been once in my situation between two other games making a decision about the team for this one game and considering all the information I had from the medical department and then you say afterwards, 'You obviously don't want to win it'.
"No. I just collect the bones and use the last of the few guys we have. Usually we go out in December, historically, pretty early, and it's a time when we play every three minutes. Then you have the wrong draw.
"Size-wise our squad has been like it is now for the past two or three years. The only problem is they were never all available.
"That means you have to bring in all the kids and then you draw Chelsea away. Congratulations.
"That's nothing to do with not wanting to win the competition. It just means we have to consider all the other stuff as well.
"It makes me even more happy that we found a way to Wembley."