Klopp vows to maintain positive approach in Europe

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will continue to take a positive approach to his Europa League team selection and said he has no concerns over Premier League form ramifications.

Former boss Brendan Rodgers regularly named weakened sides for European ties to ensure his players remained at peak fitness, easing the pressure of playing on Thursdays and Sundays.

Klopp, in contrast, has vowed to continue fielding his strongest team following Thursday’s 1-0 win over Rubin Kazan and claimed fatigue will not be a problem.

“If you play Champions League, you are playing Wednesday and Saturday,” Klopp said.

“Nobody says ‘okay, come on, go to Real Madrid with 17 year old guys!’, that is not fair for them. They get experience but not the experience they should get.

“Where is the difference [with Thursday and Sunday]? Is the only benefit that you like the other tournament more?”

Klopp, who joined the Anfield club in October, said the players continue to come around to his preferred style but needs more time to stamp his mark on the team.

“We have to play. We cannot rest. That is our situation. This has been really good,” he said.

“Four weeks, it’s a short time we’ve been working together. Six games? That is not a big number and we have a common experience.

“We can work with this. The best training at the moment is our matches.

“It is very intensive. It is good for physical condition and it is good to talk about after games. It’s much easier when we win.”