urgen Klopp scoffs at Manchester United claim that Liverpool could be there for the taking

Jurgen Klopp has dismissed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s notion that this is the perfect time for Manchester United to play Liverpool, saying his champions are primed for the challenge.

The Liverpool boss welcomes United to Anfield for a top-of-the-table clash on Sunday and said: ‘I know Ole said that this is the best moment to play Liverpool. Yeah? Let’s see.’

Klopp revealed his squad had held a clear-the-air summit to address a dip in standards. The champions relinquished control of the title race when they lost at Southampton almost a fortnight ago. 

Liverpool’s players were angry with their performance at St Mary’s and expressed their frustrations in a meeting at the club’s Kirkby training ground.

‘We lost against Southampton, which was absolutely not what we wanted,’ said Klopp. ‘But the next day we spoke and the boys had their say as well, all that kind of stuff. We are now in a place where we want to be. We know what we have to do.

‘We know what went wrong. We want to change. Now, we have to put it in place on the pitch. That is the situation. I’m really looking forward to this game, to be honest.’

United have not lost on their travels since Liverpool beat them 2-0 on January 19 last year and Solskjaer feels an empty stadium this time around will give his side an edge.

‘It’s just a pitch of green grass and white lines,’ said Solskjaer. ‘Compared to the times when you go to Anfield with a crowd there, it’s a bit of an advantage this time compared to normal.’