Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is taking his time with Daniel Sturridge

Klopp is showing commendable patience of his own with Daniel Sturridge and insists the striker must prove he is more “robust” before he is fully thrown back into first-team action. “I wasn’t here before”.

“Then we had the game against Crystal Palace – our “black cat”, I would say – but we never doubted ourselves”. It was not just the manager’s fault.

“I don’t think it matters too much who is on the sideline tomorrow, because it is the players who will decide the result. I want to forget it and just concentrate on the future”.

Klopp, himself a defender in Germany with Mainz before establishing himself as a leading manager in the Bundesliga, has fond memories of Sagnol, a World Cup finalist with France in 2006.

“We have to try to find the right situation to bring him in”. When I came here he was injured, but now he has had many, many [training] sessions with the team and the Belgian national team.

Liverpool are historically one of England’s most successful clubs but in the past decade they have had their progress limited by the rise of these two teams who are both backed by prosperous businessmen.

Former manager Gerard Houllier will coach the team against a Socceroos outfit likely to contain the likes of Mark Bosnich, Brett Emerton, Scott Chipperfield, Tony Popovic, Jason Culina, Mile Sterjovski, Craig Foster, Robbie Slater and Ned Zelic.

“It makes it much easier to play and gives you the confidence that even if you make a mistake, afterwards he will talk to you and explain to you the wrong things and good things. Skrtel is a little ill”.

“Every one of the players has changed their opinion of football”.

“Usually in football it (home form) is not the biggest difference and it should not make a bigger point than it is”, he said.

“It’s a great pleasure to play under Juergen”, he added. “Many things we can do better when we train more often together”.

“If he is feeling good at the moment maybe he will get a few minutes – or more – we will see in the game”. “I am playing now and really comfortable and focused to play my best game”, stressed the 26-year old, obviously not content with spending extended periods of time on the bench.

It’s been 25 years now since Liverpool last won a league title, only twice have Liverpool come close to winning the English Premier league title.