Liverpool news: Jurgen Klopp proved right as duo’s private dressing room chat emerges

Arne Slot has overseen a fast start once again, with his Liverpool side threatening to run away from the chasing pack after picking up maximum points from five league games

Liverpool continued their perfect start to the season on Saturday, holding off a second half Everton rally to win 2-1 in the Merseyside derby. With rivals dropping points, Arne Slot’s team now sit five points clear of their closest challengers after just five games.

Attention now turns to the Carabao Cup, with Southampton visiting Anfield on Tuesday night. Slot’s team made it all the way to Wembley last term, losing to Newcastle in the final, and their run began with a come-from-behind win at home to West Ham.

The cup game is one of four Liverpool matches between now and the October international break, and each contains its own challenges. Crystal Palace and Chelsea await in the league, with Palace the only other side unbeaten after five games, while there’s also a Champions League trip to Galatasaray on September 30.

It could also offer an opportunity for Alexander Isak to continue playing himself up to speed. The Swede started on the bench against Everton, but impressed Slot with his fitness levels against Atletico Madrid in Europe.

The weekend victory was set in motion by Ryan Gravenberch’s goal, and the Dutchman’s situation is one of the topics of discussion today. Here are Mirror Football‘s latest lines from around Anfield as the Reds prepare to return to action.

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Bayern’s Gravenberch feelings

Bayern Munich have expressed internal regret over allowing Ryan Gravenberch to join Liverpool, it has been claimed. The Dutch midfielder has thrived at Liverpool in a deeper role to the one he occupied at the Allianz Arena, where former boss Thomas Tuchel didn’t see him in the same way as Liverpool boss Arne Slot.

“Of course, there is internal regret over Ryan Gravenberch’s exit from FC Bayern. The club knew what he was capable of, but he needed playing time (which he’s been given at Liverpool) that he was never going to get at Bayern Munich,” Bundesliga reporter Christian Falk said after the midfielder’s fine first season at Anfield.

“Thomas Tuchel saw Gravenberch playing further up the pitch, perhaps as a No. 10 or an offensive No. 8,” he added. “If Tuchel had seen [Gravenbech’s potential], Bayern wouldn’t have spent €51m [£43.2m] on João Palhinha. That still hurts a lot.”

Klopp proved right

Pep Guardiola’s comments about his Manchester City squad raise questions about the toll the Club World Cup may have taken on his squad. And it’s something former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp warned about before the summer tournament.

“They [Arsenal] were better and we were incredibly tired,” Guardiola said after Sunday’s draw at Arsenal. “People don’t realise, the [Champions League] game against Napoli was so emotional after that a recovery day then it’s four or five hours to arrive in London, it’s more fatigue and everything.”

Speaking to Welt earlier in the summer, Klopp argued: “In the end, it’s all about the game and not the surrounding aspects – and that’s why the Club World Cup is the worst idea ever implemented in football in this regard.” He said the number of summer competitions left players with little recovery time, suggesting we could see the effects sooner rather than later.

“This means no real recovery for the players who are there, neither physically nor mentally,” he added. “An NBA player, who also earns a big salary, has a four-month break every year. This is what Virgil van Dijk got in his entire career.”

Kerkez admission

Milos Kerkez received a pep talk from fellow left-back Andy Robertson before Saturday’s Merseyside derby. Robertson is a rival of the Hungarian for a starting spot this term, but gave Kerkez his backing after a tricky start to life at Anfield for the summer signing.

“The relationship [with Robertson] is really good,” Kerkez said. “Before the game he motivated me, he told me: ‘Go outside and do your thing that you were doing last season.’ So he gave me a bit of a push. Then after the game he congratulated me and told me that I should keep going like that.

“We are good. He’s a legend who did amazing things, won everything and still has quality. It’s not like he’s not here. He’s a squad player. This is Liverpool, we’re competing. He’s pushing me, I’m pushing him and I think that’s important to have in a big club like this.”

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