📣 Klopp on derby, Salah's Ballon d'Or snub and injuries | OneFootball

Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has addressed the media ahead of Wednesday night’s Merseyside derby against Everton.

This is what he had to say.

On the derby

“Derbies get a lot of focus but we approach it like any normal game. The extra day helps, we usually have one day less and we feel it.

“The second day of recovery is really important for the boys. It is a massive difference. We will see.

“Form matters, especially when it’s good. We have to play good football and we’re difficult to play against when we do. That’s what we try.

“It isn’t my favourite game but I won’t expand on why I feel that way because you don’t report it properly so thats all I’ll say.”

On Mo Salah’s seventh place Ballon d’Or finish

“I was surprised to be honest. Is it journalists who vote? Then don’t ask me, it’s your fault!

“It’s your vote. If you think he should be higher up, you convince your colleagues. You can always give it to Messi for his career.

“I’m not 100% sure what it is to be honest. If you don’t give it to Robert Lewandowski now it’s difficult to give him it at all. But Mo should have been higher up, definitely.”

On Virgil van Dijk’s Goodison return

“We are all human beings so it’s difficult to ignore those situations – it shouldn’t happen. It can happen and it’s unlucky.

“Virgil is very experienced – he just has to be completely free in his mind because of one issue in the past.”

On injuries

“Everybody came through well from Saturday, but the boys [who are out] are getting closer.

“Joe [Gomez] is not too far from team training, and Naby [Keïta]. Bobby [Firmino] needs another week to do more football stuff.

“Curtis Jones is fine and could run a marathon if he wanted to but we have to wait for the doctors to give us the green light. He is doing what he is allowed to do.”