Klopp urges defenders to be firmer with Hazard

Jurgen Klopp is all too aware of the threat Eden Hazard will pose when Liverpool face Chelsea on Saturday evening and has called for his defenders to be stronger in dealing with him.

Hazard made the difference when he was introduced in last Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash, gliding through before hammering the ball past Simon Mignolet to complete the turnaround.

The Belgian is in red-hot form heading into the crucial Premier League meeting, with his Anfield strike his sixth goal in seven games this season.

Klopp says he needed no reminder of Hazard’s quality, but is confident his improving defence can contain him if they learn their lesson.

“I know exactly how good he is,” the manager said in his pre-match press conference. “Eden Hazard is a special player, obviously, and he enjoys these one-on-one situations or one versus two or three situations.

“I didn’t need that game [on Wednesday] to know about Eden, it was already clear.

“We all know we could have defended that goal but still he scored. We had three challenges and yes he did well because nobody had him really. If we have one 100 per cent challenge, or four or five, then Eden Hazard can’t do what he did.

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LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 26: Eden Hazard of Chelsea celebrates after he scores his sides second goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield on September 26, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

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“But that’s not new, he used the situation that two players were in a bit of doubt – we never want to do that, never.

“We want one for the challenge and one for the protection and we had two for the protection three times.

“And then I would say it’s still not possible to score a goal, but he did and it was a perfect finish. I can easily respect that, but no player is not defendable.”

The game could well hinge on whether the Reds can frustrate the 27-year-old, but Klopp warned his opponents that they too will have difficulty keeping his side at bay.

“It’s difficult but we are difficult to defend,” he stressed. “If you give Sadio Mane the ball in the wrong space then you cannot get him anymore as an opponent, it’s not possible.

“So we have these players as well. So we have to make sure we close the right spaces and if we have a challenge, we should try to win it a bit more than we did in that situation.”

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Source: anfieldhq.com