Amid the delirium of Liverpool achieving their third Champions League final in five years, Jürgen Klopp interrupted his celebrations to read crucial texts.

The first was received by his wife Ulla, his heart. The next set was sent to the pair who were drafted as the backbone of Liverpool when, to recall the manager’s analogy during an all-powerful injury crisis, the team had broken their leg, then the vertebrae, and had difficulty moving.

“I messaged Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips because we wouldn’t be here without them,” Klopp said Sky Sports News.

“I remember the last game of last season and they left the pitch with a bandage around their head, cuts on their face, and that was really a symbol for the whole period. We went on one leg, with one eye… it was unbelievable. It was such a tough season.”

The German lies in a media room at Liverpool’s training base on the anniversary of Alisson’s barely believable 95th minute header against West Bromwich Albion which helped clinch the qualification in the Champions League and to further fuel a fighting spirit that offered the possibility of a quadruple.

That’s why he reflects on what came before and the contrast to his side’s situation with the League Cup and FA Cup already harvested ahead of a decisive fortnight to determine the destination of the title and European glory .

“I hope no one has forgotten how hard we fought to get here,” Klopp says of a time that seems so far away, so far from this reality.

“We felt it mentally. The public didn’t hesitate to tell us that we had underperformed and all that kind of stuff. You try to understand, you think ‘wait a minute, we’re playing league teams the strongest in the world having played most of the time without our full defense We didn’t have a centre-half, we had to play midfielders in the last line and then we had to use other players in the middle ground and nothing really worked.

“At the end of the day, we played with two amazing players – Rhys and Nat – but we couldn’t use them sooner because they needed time to adapt. So yes, there was a small point to prove. and I’m really happy that the boys did that.

“Now we should really take everything out of these competitions, which we are doing so far.”

Q&A: Klopp on competing with City and his relentlessness

In an extensive conversation with Sky Sports NewsSenior reporter Melissa Reddy, Klopp has explained why ‘intense’ doesn’t quite capture how demanding it is to compete with Manchester City for the title, remaining relentless and why triumph is undermined from the lowest moments …

Melissa Reddy: ‘Pep Guardiola said league battle is on the wire with City and Liverpool due to uncompromising nature of both teams?

Jürgen Klopp: “It’s good to be honest. And he’s right. I can give all the compliments because it’s amazing. The consistency of City’s show, the quality they have… they’re a team full of wonderful footballers.

“And then, and the hardest thing is when you have these talented boys to drive home the importance of throwing everything on the pitch – and they do! I really respect that a lot, and we do too. It’s the same mixture.

“We are different teams with similar skill sets and I’m not even sure intense is the right word anymore. The levels we are pushing each other to is absolutely insane.

“And look, just being around them without making the finals wouldn’t be so cool because even being a point behind them is still a point behind. It’s close, but that’s not where you want to be in. But because we made it to the finals, won two of them have another one to go, which makes for a really enjoyable season.

“I probably have a few tinted glasses, but I think it’s very exciting to watch if you’re neutral and think, ‘Wow, what are they doing? They really go all the way to the end .’ And it’s great to be involved because of the quality of the opponent.”

SIR: “Surely it can’t be nicer than tense?”

JK: “I think the two finals against Chelsea are really a good testimony: two teams of an incredibly high standard – we cannot exclude them from these discussions because they went for these two cups and these quarter-finals in the Champions League .

“The level of concentration was absolutely insane and both were examples of high level finals for me. People want to see goals, I understand that, but I don’t see anyone getting bored with those games because it there was so much in it. That’s how we push each other.”

SIR: “We are referring to successful finals for Liverpool there – the League Cup and FA Cup victories – but the reaction to the big defeats in the first years of your tenure is instructive. And then the desire, after having finally tasted success, to keep hunting more?”

JK: “We all expect this relentlessness from ourselves. None of us are immune to defeats, which means we are really used to it as humanity.

“My idea of ​​life is that I don’t expect anything, I don’t take anything for granted – as long as I have a chance, it’s always been enough for me. And obviously we have a chance to react so let’s give it a So , we have already felt how bad it is to lose, so you have to work to get the other feeling.

“When we sang the song [after the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in 2018] in my kitchen that we will bring the trophy back to Liverpool and that we did, I think it was quite special. By the way, this morning my phone brought up that memory with a picture of Peter Krawietz and another friend of mine holding a vase claiming it was the trophy. That’s when we started creating the song, but it’s a good example.

“So you try hard, you want to win it all, we’re going with everything you’ve got and it’s always possible to lose. And it really doesn’t feel good. And I’ve had it too many times in my life, but if I’m 100 Percent honest they all sharpened my mind too So I don’t think I made a lot of mistakes in the final but maybe here and there little things.

“I thought you had to perform, like you had to play your best game. And then we won the Champions League when it was the worst final we’ve played to be honest – I was more than happy with that. And I wasn’t coaching on the sideline, ‘do this, do that.’ I accepted it like that and we all tried to defend at a decent level and get through this game.

“So we all have to learn how to win. But sometimes we don’t give ourselves enough time for that. That’s all.”

Henderson on Liverpool history: ‘It’s special, but we want more’

Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson speaks exclusively to sky sports to be part of the history of the club and the thirst for success of its team…

What’s next in the title race?

Liverpool’s remaining matches

May 17 – Southampton Premier League, live on Sky Sports

May 22 – Wolves (h) premier league

Man City’s last game

May 22 – Villa Aston (h) premier league

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