From the Echo:
Ragnar Klavan admits his first season in England has been an education as he bids to ensure
Liverpool pass their examination for a Champions League spot.
The experienced Estonian defender has clocked up 20 appearances for the Reds since his £4.2million move from Augsburg last summer.
Klavan, who has helped the Reds strengthen their grip on a top-four spot with back-to-back wins over Arsenal and Burnley, is hoping to hold off competition from Dejan Lovren and retain his place alongside Joel Matip for Sunday’s trip to Manchester City.
The 31-year-old believes
Jurgen Klopp’s side have got what it takes to kick on during the run-in and seal the club’s return to Europe’s elite.
“Liverpool is such a big club and has so much history that everybody thinks we should be playing in Europe every year,” Klavan said.
“That’s what we want, to be at a consistent level where we play in Europe every season.
“We had that consistency at the start of the season and although we have also had low points I still think we have a great chance to finish in the top four.
“The Champions League is the most prestigious competition. It is an opportunity to compare yourself against other European clubs and I believe it is the biggest measurement of where you stand in Europe.
“At Liverpool we are working every day to achieve that goal. Everybody here wants to be playing in the Champions League.”
Klavan was brought in to provide defensive cover by Klopp following spells in Estonia, Norway, Holland and Germany.
The defender admits life in the Premier League is very different to the Bundesliga. The defeat Liverpool suffered at Turf Moor back in August was an eye opener for him in terms of what the lesser lights are capable of in such a competitive environment. The Reds have since been tripped up by Bournemouth, Hull, Swansea and Leicester.
“It was a reality check for me,” he said. “I realised then how intense the Premier League is.
The Bundesliga is also intense and players have high fitness levels. But where as there you can anticipate tactics and how things might go, when a game gets going here it’s forwards, backwards, forwards, backwards, and anything can happen.
“It takes some time to get used to it but we also train in this way. Our training style is high in intensity and that has really helped.
“This is one of the things that makes the Premier League so special and the most watched league in the world. If we play against lower teams that are not doing so well this season we are expected to win, but these teams still have really good quality.
“If you look at the championship race in Germany then 90% of people would put their bets on Bayern Munich every year. In Spain you would put your money on Real Madrid or Barcelona but here the race is more open.
“There are five or six teams you could put your bets on in August and not know which one will win. That makes English football so attractive to watch and it also makes it difficult to be consistent in the Premier League.
“Chelsea have been clinical, consistent and won games, but nobody else has done that and it shows that in this league you have to be at your best every time to beat even the lower teams.”
Klavan has had to get to grips with opponents backing off and letting Liverpool dominate possession before looking to hit them on the counter.
“In Germany almost all of the teams want to play with the ball whereas here a lot of opponents want you to have the ball,” he told Liverpool’s official matchday programme.
“In most cases when Liverpool play we have a lot of ball possession so the difference for me is that I always have to be ready to play or receive the ball, but if we suddenly lose possession I am also the man responsible for dealing with a long ball in behind us on a counter-attack.
“You have to do two things together: be involved in possession but still have the striker you are marking in your reach because if we lose the ball then straightaway he can come in behind you.”
When the wheels came off the Reds’ campaign back in January a lack of leadership was cited as an area of weakness in Klopp’s squad. But Klavan, who captains his country, insists that wasn’t an issue.
“There are different ways to lead a team,” he said.
“Everybody talks to me about Steven Gerrard. He wasn’t the kind of person who was just on the field screaming and yelling at everybody. He had other qualities that could motivate a team. When he had something to say his words were spot on.
“It doesn’t make you the best captain simply because you are the loudest. There are many different styles and you must remember that it’s not just how you are on the field but how you are in the locker rooms that can make you a leader or a good captain.
“I’m not the loudest guy in the locker room or on the pitch. If I need to say something when it needs saying then I don’t yell. I prefer to tell people one on one what I think about a situation.”
Liverpool’s slump in January and February may have dashed hopes of silverware but Klavan insists his debut campaign with the Reds will still be memorable if they clinch a Champions League place.
“Yes of course. It is my first season representing this historical club,” Klavan added.
“Liverpool has won many trophies but not so many recently, so the way we started this season made expectations really high.
“We deserved to be where we were but it is a long season and you only know in May how well you’ve really done. The season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and you have highs and lows.”
