Jurgen Klopp has said that his Liverpool team “have to be ready to suffer” if they want to reach this season's Champions League final.
The Premier League club take on Villarreal in Tuesday's semi-final second leg in Spain defending a 2-0 from the first game at Anfield.
Liverpool remain in the hunt for what would be a historic trophy quadruple and have lost only three times in all competitions this term. And while they remain in pole position to secure their latest euro final spot, Klopp has warned his players they must prepare themselves for a difficult night at El Madrigal.
“With all these things during the season, obviously with the situation we are in, we must have done something right, that is clear,” said the German on Monday.
“But the problem in our job is everything’s perfect until the next game starts on the wrong foot and all of a sudden the game gets a different dynamic.
“It is good to know – and it is more a feeling inside, not that we are flying constantly and high-fiving here and there – we are in a good moment.
“But my only concern is what we do [on Tuesday] and we have to be ready to suffer but not going 1-0 down or whatever – that can happen in football matches – but giving the game the right direction.
“Let’s think they have the first shot on target, crowd goes up, each challenge, crowd goes up and that is how it is.”
Klopp said a prime example of this was during their narrow Premier League victory at Newcastle United on Saturday. “The crowd was obviously very passionate but we did not let it happen, which was the biggest quality of this game,” he added.
How Villarreal and Liverpool reached the semi-finals
![LAST-16 FIRST LEG: February 16, 2022 - Inter Milan 0 Liverpool 2 (Firmino 75'), Salah 83'). Liverpool defender Andy Robertson said: "We need to be better than we were tonight to make sure we reach the last eight, but we have the benefit of having two goals. If we don't put in a good performance [at Anfield] we won't be through." AP](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HDDMOHAHEZ7VFS2HDBS7YW6ZUY.jpg?smart=true&auth=8fcf11c9b5d27498fc7a2bd96c95241f3877dfbbe434747c77b90b3a54236e19&width=800&height=533)
![LAST-16 SECOND LEG: March 16, 2022 - Juventus 0 Villarreal 3 (Moreno pen 78'), Torres 85', Danjuma pen 90'+2). Villarreal win 4-1 on aggregate. Villarreal defender Pau Torres said: "Not even in our best planning sessions for the game did we think we'd win with that scoreline. We knew they'd have chances. [Villarreal goalkeeper] Rulli was great and we were a little lucky, but you need that." EPA](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/HY74TQSZMWYCZUTJPHYHAUS2G4.jpg?smart=true&auth=2c189cfb1d098462705275b36cee2bd68673a16292d9bd8d901a87ccf00cbd74&width=800&height=498)
![QUARTER-FINAL FIRST LEG: April 6, 2022 - Villarreal 1 (Danjuma 8') Bayern Munich 0. Villarreal winger Arnaut Danjuma said: "Champions League nights are incomparable. We can still be so much better than we've shown today. Then again, if you win 1-0 against Bayern and can still improve, that's a positive. Unai [Emery] is a tactical mastermind. We're confident in him and he's confident in us." Reuters](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/NMAR7SKYUCLAHOYP5HRWA7AHIU.jpg?smart=true&auth=d4955635a483f02736fb571032a302119c8da21f7835aa4441fdfa57029e2b65&width=800&height=527)
“It was not a show of football brilliance or whatever. We had our moments and of course could have scored more goals. But how clear-cut the performance was – that was incredible and that is what we have to be.
“Yes, emotional. Yes, ready to play the best game ever, but knowing it will just not happen in all moments. Suffering doesn’t mean you suffer for long, it means you suffer [clicks fingers] and then react.”
Klopp added that “maturity and experience” will be important but not decisive factors. “They will try to play much more football than we allowed them in the first game,” he said.
“Unai will surely try to adapt a few things. It will be really interesting. Maturity is important but not the only thing.
“Everything we are is required [on Tuesday]. We have to be ready to play a top game because they will go for us. They will try to play much more football than we allowed them in the first game.”
Klopp revealed that forward Roberto Firmino has started running again after a foot injury but was still experiencing pain and will not play in Spain.
