Jurgen Klopp gives fresh Liverpool Covid update and ponders if Tottenham game will go ahead

Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Here are the main talking points from the Reds boss’ pre-match press conference.

COVID-19 cases

The Premier League has been impacted by the rising number of COVID cases in England - and Liverpool are no different.

Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones all missed Thursday’s 3-1 win over Newcastle. They are suspected to be positive for coronavirus, having taken a test upon entry to Anfield.

However, Klopp says no-one else has yet tested positive - although there could be more cases when the players arrive for training later on Friday.

“It’s not confirmed yet,” he said.

“It’s an ongoing process but they are not here. They are fine. In this moment no-one else is positive but it’s pretty early still.

“The players don’t come here until later so we will see.”

Will Spurs game go ahead?

Tottenham will certainly want Sunday’s clash to be played.

Antonio Conte’s side’s past three fixtures - against Rennes, Brighton and Leicester - were all postponed for Covid-related reasons.

Klopp doesn’t want the Premier League to have a “circuit breaker” which some have called for.

The Liverpool boss hopes the Tottenham fixture will go ahead - although further positive cases in the Anfield camp could change things.

He said: “We have no information about Tottenham, I have no idea if they have trained since today, from tomorrow or since a week [ago].

“It’s difficult to get any sort of information which is part of preparation for a game.

“Integrity of the game, I don’t know when all these games will be played, where is the space when they played.

“We don’t think we shouldn’t play on Sunday. I say that now but when the players arrive and we have six, seven or eight more cases, then we cannot play.

“In the situation we are in now, we would like to play, that’s how it is.

“I have no idea what we can expect [from Tottenham, because of their lay-off]. Maybe we’ll have a little idea about the system but that’s it.

“It’s difficult not to play for two weeks and all of a sudden have to play. With all the things we are discussing, there is no solution at the moment and more transparency would be helpful.

“We know three players are probably not available. If they are available, we will be the same. If they are false positive, we will say that. No-one knows at all.”

Trent’s goal

Trent Alexander-Arnold scored a long-range thunderbolt to wrap up Liverpool’s defeat of Newcastle.

The right-back admitted he’d been trying to net a goal like that for five years.

Klopp revealed Alexander-Arnold would like to get on the scoresheet more, although it shouldn’t be a big priority.

He said: “Yes, it’s part of what he wants to improve but he doesn’t get up in the morning and think: ‘How can I score the next goal?’

“He is improving his game and space and there are so many parts of the game he can improve and he is already a world-class player.

“Probably when he grew up, he saw Steve Gerrard scoring goals like this and having a very good shooting technique, you want to score goals like this.

“It’s not the case he’s in the position 20 times a game in the left half-space. It’s pretty much the space he’s not in the most. He might have to wait another five years to score from there as it’s not his position but doing that is pretty special.

“He deserved a goal like this because he’s an incredible player.”

Jota’s form

Diogo Jota’s goal against Newcastle was his ninth in the Premier League this season.

Only Mo Salah has bagged more in the top flight and Klopp believes the Portuguese has developed a “killer instinct” in the final third.

The Liverpool boss said: “Diogo is an incredible player. Mo is an exceptional player, Sadio Mane plays really good but is unlucky at the moment.

“All these boys have incredible quality and Diogo has developed a proper killer instinct in the last few months.

“He’s in the right spaces, brings himself in good positions, his link-up play with Sadio is exceptional.

“He’s still young and there’s still a lot to come from him, but it’s already good and good for us.”