Jurgen Klopp Issues First Orders to Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Co.

New Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp reportedly wasted no time outlining what was expected of his playing staff as he addressed key members of the team on his first day at the club’s Melwood training complex.

According to David Anderson of the Daily Mirror, Daniel Sturridge and Philippe Coutinho were among the players in situ for Klopp’s training ground bow, as well as Lucas Leiva, Mamadou Sakho and James Milner. In the piece, it’s outlined what the German had to say to the players who weren’t away on international duty:

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It is understood the German briefly outlined what he expects from them as he builds up to his first match in charge against Tottenham on Saturday.

Klopp took the session, which lasted just over an hour, assisted by his coach Peter Krawietz and Pep Lijnders, the only survivor from Brendan Rodgers' first-team staff.

Klopp's No 2 and right-hand man Zeljko Buvac was not present and the Bosnian has yet to arrive at Liverpool. Alberto Moreno, Kolo Toure and Jose Enrique all took part in the session, as Klopp got to know his new charges.

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Anderson also wrote Klopp was able to meet some of the club’s injured players, including captain Jordan Henderson, Roberto Firmino, Christian Benteke and Dejan Lovren. There have been some concerns about the fitness of Coutinho, too, but according to the Press Association (h/t the Daily Mirror) he could be fit for Saturday’s clash with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Anfield Chat thinks Coutinho is a player who could become even better under the tutelage of the German:

Sturridge is another player who is surely in for an interesting future with Klopp at the helm. During his time at Dortmund, the coach did prefer to play with a target man, whether that be Lucas Barrios early in his days at the Westfalenstadion or Robert Lewandowski later in his career with BVB. Benteke, as such, seems a much more natural fit for his principles.

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Paul Dalglish, son of Liverpool legend Kenny, is unsure as to whether or not the former Dortmund boss will be able to accommodate both of the Reds’ star centre-forwards:

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Klopp has mostly played with one forward. We have Benteke and Sturridge! Would he leave one out or play with 2. Ancelotti plays many systems

— Paul Dalglish (@pauldalglish) October 5, 2015"

Still, this will be an exciting time for the players. Klopp is a man who enchanted the watching world during his unveiling as manager of Friday, rejuvenating a Liverpool fanbase that had sagged in the early weeks of the Premier League season.

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The players seem just as excited as the fans too. After midfielder Adam Lallana insisted he’s keen to get working under Klopp, Liverpool starlet Jordon Ibe is the latest to reveal he can’t wait to meet the new manager, although he did admit he was sad to see predecessor Brendan Rodgers leave, per Kristian Walsh of the Daily Mirror:

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I can’t wait to get back and start working with him now. I can only try and get better with the help he’s hopefully going to provide for me, and there’s a lot of other young players, so working around him should be great and also for the senior players in the squad.

It’s a shame [about Rodgers], because he was an important man in my career, But that’s how football is. There’s no promises in football and I wish him all the best for the future.

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First impressions are important and after sparkling before the cameras last week, Klopp needs to do so in person with his playing staff in the days leading up to a vital clash at White Hart Lane. The players will surely get an extra jolt of motivation to impress the new man and that should raise spirits around Melwood this week.

Ideally Klopp wouldn’t have wanted his playing squad coming back in dribs and drabs after an international hiatus. Subsequently, it’d be a surprise to see any major tactical shifts in north London on Saturday, with the new manager’s modus operandi likely to be creating a positive atmosphere for the players and getting them mentally set for his first game in charge.