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FOOTBALL

Klopp’s restored belief, says Liverpool star

Liverpool FC's young German midfield star Emre Can has spoken of how Jürgen Klopp has lifted the team in his short time at the club.

Klopp's restored belief, says Liverpool star
Emre Can. Photo: DPA

“In recent weeks we stopped believing in ourselves. Jürgen Klopp has given us this belief in our own strength back,“ Can told Bild newspaper.

At just 21, Can has already become an integral player in the Liverpool team and has recently been called up into the German national team as reward.

The ex-Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen player described how Klopp has shown the side how he differs to other trainers since his official appointment on October 9th.

“He is much more emotional, he'll put an arm around your shoulder,“ he said.

“I was really surprised myself how good Mr Klopp's English is,“ said Can. “His relaxed but motivating style comes across in team meetings. He's managed to throw in a few jokes to relax the situation. He does that really, really well.“

Speaking of Klopp's effect on his own game, Can expressed delight that the ex-Borussia Dortmund coach had returned him to his favoured position in midfield during the club's recent match against Tottenham Hotspur.

“Jürgen Klopp knows that I feel good in midfield, and I'm grateful he's trusted me to play in this position.“

“He expects from me that I'll contribute a lot offensively. As of yet I haven't scored a lot of goals for Liverpool.“

The younger German also allowed himself to dream of titles, despite Liverpool languishing in the middle of the Premier League.

“We must believe that we can achieve everything. We have a lot of quality in our ranks. Now it has to be our goal under Klopp – just like Dortmund – to grab the title.“

SEE ALSO: Klopp meets press as new Liverpool boss

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RACISM

VIDEO: Spain’s La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

Spain's La Liga on Monday said it was reviewing a video of a child making racist insults towards Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior during the 2-2 draw with Valencia at the weekend.

VIDEO: Spain's La Liga reviews video of boy racially abusing Vinicius

“We’re in the process of studying and analysing the facts from a legal standpoint to see what we can and should do,” La Liga sources said.

In a video published by a journalist for ESPN Brasil, and picked up by Spanish media, a boy sitting in a woman’s lap can be heard calling Vinicius a “monkey”.

The Brazilian scored twice for Madrid as his team recovered from two goals down at Mestalla on Saturday.

Vinicius raised his fist in a “Black Power” salute after the first of his two goals at a ground where he was racially abused last season. Valencia subsequently banned three people from the stadium for life.

The 23-year-old has become a symbol of the fight against discrimination in Spanish football after suffering racist abuse on many occasions, and he was jeered repeatedly by home supporters on Saturday.

Jude Bellingham was sent off after the final whistle against Valencia for protesting after the referee blew the final whistle right before the England midfielder headed home what he thought was the winning goal.

READ ALSO: Football star Vinicius highlights racist behaviour from Spanish fans

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