LIVERPOOL MANAGER JURGEN Klopp is aware his players will need a plan to combat the threat of West Ham star Dimitri Payet, but insisted they will not go as far as following him everywhere he goes.
The two sides meet in an FA Cup fourth-round replay at Upton Park on Tuesday after a 0-0 draw at Anfield on January 30.
Payet, 28, is one of West Ham’s key threats and Klopp wants Liverpool to try and cut off the supply to him, but joked they would not go as far as tracking his moves to the toilet.
“We [the coaching staff] played against Payet when he was at Marseille so I knew him before,” he said at his pre-match media conference.
“We have no player we can say, ‘come on, follow him, if necessary to the restroom’.
“How I understand football in these times, we should not try to find a solution only for Payet, the solution is to avoid the passes to Payet.
If he doesn’t have the ball too often then it is not possible to have the biggest influence on the game – that is how football should work.
“We play our football. He can decide games, for sure, but only if we give him the opportunity.”
Klopp has passed himself fit to be in the dugout for the clash after missing the 2-2 Premier League draw with Sunderland on Saturday having undergone surgery on his appendix.
I feel good — a lot of people have had this before and I am back in the race,” he said of his health.
“Our doc said I should go to hospital, I was not too sure, but the surgeon was great – and he was a season ticket holder, so missed the game too.
I am fit and healthy otherwise I wouldn’t be here. I had one not too good night but I feel good. I am experienced enough to know that I am not going to jump or something when I have a few holes in my body! I can’t win the game with my emotions.
“I saw the Sunderland game and a lot of things I think people could see were really good but in the end it was not enough.
“I can’t say anything about the first [league] game against West Ham when I was not in charge but the second game we were really bad and that is the reason why they could win. We need to be better and improve.”
