Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool face test to bring Melwood atmosphere to Kirkby

‘The challenge will be to bring that to Kirkby’: Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool face test to bring Melwood’s tight-knit atmosphere to new £50m training facility when Reds move this summer

  • Jurgen Klopp wants the atmosphere at Melwood to move seamlessly to Kirkby
  • Liverpool’s stunning new £50m training facility will be ready during the summer
  • The first-team squad and staff have become a tight-knit unit at Melwood
  • Klopp insists Saturday’s league trip to Watford will not be as easy as it may seem

Jurgen Klopp has insisted it will be a ‘challenge’ to harness the united atmosphere around Melwood and ensure it continues in Liverpool’s new stunning £50million training complex at Kirkby.

The first-team squad will leave their historic Melwood base at the end of this season and move to a lavish new complex at Kirkby, where Liverpool’s academy currently train. 

Liverpool’s run to last season’s Champions League title and to the brink of becoming Premier League winners has ensured the first-team squad is a tight-knit unit, something Klopp has placed huge importance on during his reign as manager.

Jurgen Klopp says it will be a ‘challenge’ to bring Melwood’s atmosphere to their new base

Liverpool's first-team squad and staff have become a tight-knit unit at their Melwood facility

Liverpool’s first-team squad and staff have become a tight-knit unit at their Melwood facility

But Klopp warned that the club faces a difficult task to bring a similar aura to their new home.

Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Watford, the German said: ‘It’s (the atmosphere) just how everyone wants to have it here (at Melwood).

‘We feel comfortable. It’s not a situation I have created here, it is everyone who works here.

‘When people come here to visit they really appreciate the way they have been treated. We just like to behave like normal people.

‘The challenge will be to bring that atmosphere to Kirkby.’

Liverpool’s first team will have two gyms, a full-size sports hall, a swimming pool, a hydrotherapy complex and specialist rehabilitation suits at their disposal at Kirkby.

Liverpool's new state-of-the-art training complex in Kirkby will be ready for this summer

Liverpool’s new state-of-the-art training complex in Kirkby will be ready for this summer

The decision to move is so the youth and senior teams can train closer for progression

The decision to move is so the youth and senior teams can train closer for progression

There will also be three first-team pitches on the campus, with state of the art artificial fibre stitching being installed before new grass is sown in 2020.

Work at the training ground is on track for completion this summer and it will be their home for preparations before the start of next season.

Liverpool can edge even closer to the Premier League title on Saturday when they take on a Watford side battling to avoid relegation. 

Klopp insisted it will be a tough task to come away from Vicarage Road with three points though.

He added: ‘I didn’t know (Nigel) Pearson well but I respect his history. They have a results crisis if you like but not a performance one. They are a constant threat.

‘They press high and defend well in a deep block. They need each point and will strike back. When I looked at the fixtures I thought that is a really tough one.’  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk