Jurgen Klopp believes his side have ‘matured’ after seeing Liverpool lift their third piece of silverware of the calendar year with victory at the Club World Cup in Qatar.
Roberto Firmino’s extra-time winner saw the Reds defeat Copa Libertadores champions Flamengo 1-0 in the final on Saturday, the club adding the inter-continental trophy to their earlier successes in the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup.
Having lost each of their first three finals under Klopp, Liverpool have now won each of their past three, and the German believes it is a sign that his side have matured in recent years and are now able to handle the biggest of occasions.
“We have developed at playing in finals. You get used to the excitement and still doing the right things. We have matured,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference.
“We went there to Qatar to achieve something special. We did that, it felt brilliant. We went home, had a proper sleep, and now we prepare for Leicester.”
Liverpool’s next ambition will be to end their long wait for a league title, the club currently ten points clear at the top of the Premier League and looking strong favourites to end their 30-year title drought.
The Merseyside club head to second-placed Leicester for a huge fixture at the King Power Stadium on Boxing Day, Klopp’s side looking to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign against a Foxes team seeking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat at Manchester City.
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