Jurgen Klopp watched his Liverpool stars enjoy a comfortable 3-0 win in the Premier League at Middlesbrough knowing the display was the perfect way to prepare for the forthcoming Merseyside derby.
The Reds moved above Arsenal into second spot in the table with the victory at the Riverside thanks to two goals from Adam Lallana and one from Divock Origi, his fifth goal in five appearances.
The win has buoyed the club after a disappointing 2-2 draw with West Ham at Anfield at the weekend.
Next up the Anfield outfit face the blue half of the city in a keenly anticipated clash with Ronald Koeman’s men at Goodison Park on Monday night.
Klopp’s troops face an Everton side buoyed themselves after putting title hopefuls Arsenal to the sword with a 2-1 midweek victory.
Manager Klopp made the decision to start Simon Mignolet over Loris Karius after the latter was heavily criticised for making a series of blunders in recent games.
And Klopp said:
“I am thrilled with the result — and the performance. The nice thing is when you even have something to improve in a good game and we had things to do better in the second half.”
“You could really see how the boys took the information and did it. The first half was already good, but we had this moment when it was a little bit too intense for us to be always in possession, to have the ball all of the time.”
Meanwhile, Belgian striker Origi, 21, has promised more goals following his strike and run of form.
He said:
“I have very big goals. For me, it’s only the beginning – I have to keep on making steps. At the end of the season, then you have time to reflect.”