Klopp braces for test from ‘exciting’ Chelsea young guns

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LONDON, Sept 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Jurgen Klopp warned Liverpool on Friday
to brace for a fierce fight with the Chelsea youngsters that remind him of
the thrilling Borussia Dortmund sides that took Germany and Europe by storm.

Klopp, whose Premier League leaders take on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on
Sunday, built a dynamic team in his seven years at Dortmund fuelled by gifted
prodigies including Mario Goetze, Nuri Sahin, Shinji Kagawa and Robert
Lewandowski.

He sees more than a few similarities between Dortmund teams that won the
Bundesliga in consecutive seasons and reached the Champions final in 2013,
and the way Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has put his faith in the Blues’s kids.

“It’s a really exciting team, it reminds me a little bit of my team at
Dortmund years back when they were really young, even younger than this
Chelsea team,” Klopp said.

“People always talked about how young they are but they only played because
they were that good, they didn’t play because they were that young.

“They brought in Christian Pulisic in the summer and all the players around
him have the same value — Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, (Callum) Hudson-Odoi.

“A good team, all my respect. They are a proper contender for pretty much
everything.”

Academy graduates Abraham, Mount and Fikayo Tomori have all enjoyed strong
starts to Lampard’s first season in charge, with Chelsea’s transfer ban
forcing their new manager to give the youngsters an opportunity that was hard
to come by in previous years of big spending by the Blues.

Abraham already has seven goals this season, while Mount is hopeful of
featuring this weekend after recovering from an ankle injury suffered in
Tuesday’s Champions League defeat against Valencia.

– Blistering start –

Liverpool head to Chelsea having won all of their opening five league
matches but with only one away win against top six opposition in their
previous 12 attempts.

Despite his praise for Chelsea’s young tyros, Klopp must fancy his chances
of ending that frustrating streak against a team still looking for their
first home win under Lampard.

Liverpool had their own midweek blip in the Champions League, with a 2-0
loss at Napoli bringing the holders back down to earth after their superb
start to the domestic season.

But Klopp’s team sit five points clear of champions Manchester City thanks
to their perfect start.

The Reds have already beaten Chelsea on penalties to win the European Super
Cup after a 2-2 draw in Istanbul in August.

“There are different ways to win away games, we have to find a way to find
one,” Klopp said.

“We go there to get a result, you can’t go to Chelsea and have a guarantee
that you are going to win the game, they are just too strong for that.

“I think in 2016, we won against all of the top six and had all of the
problems. Now we are much more successful winning all the other games.”

While Liverpool have their sets sight on a first English title since 1990,
Lampard knows Chelsea are likely to have to settle for a top four challenge
following the transfer ban and close-season departure of Eden Hazard to Real
Madrid.

Continuing the development of Abraham, 21, Mount, 20, and company is
essential to Chelsea’s progress and Lampard is eager for Mount to face
Liverpool to further his education.

“He has got a chance. We saw the image of the tackle which made it look
really bad. Hopefully it is not so bad,” Lampard said.

“We are trying, the good thing about Mason is his attitude is so good that
he will give everything to play for this club. We will have every opportunity
to try to get him there.”