Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is so determined for his players to look to the future instead of the past that he is banning any dressing room talk of the Reds' Champions League win last season.
His side secured Liverpool's sixth European Cup when they defeated Tottenham 2-0 in Madrid in June, a positive end to the season following the disappointment of just missing out on the Premier League title to Manchester City .
However, Klopp is insisting there is to be no further mention of the victory as he attempts to motivate his players to do all they can to bring further glory to Anfield next season.
Following Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Sporting Lisbon in New York on Wednesday Klopp said: "After this trip nobody should talk to me about the Champions League trophy. We don’t carry it with us. Now we start a new chapter.
“I would be happy if we start at the similar level to last year. That would not be bad. There is space for
improvement. Consistency on a high level is most important.”
One positive for the Reds ahead of the new campaign is the return of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 25-year-old midfielder made just two appearances last season after suffering a serious knee injury during the Champions League semi-final first leg win against Roma in 2018.
Klopp said that Oxlade-Chamberlain now has a calf problem, but appears confident the ex-Arsenal man will be fully fit before the start of the season.
“It is not a tear but something he has from time to time when the intensity gets too high," Klopp said.
“He got through the first 20 minutes when he was really involved and then he felt it. Apart from that he made all the sessions, which is unbelievably important. Very positive.”
Liverpool will next face Napoli in Edinburgh on Sunday and Lyon in Geneva three days later before the traditional curtain raiser of the Community Shield, where they play Manchester City at Wembley on Sunday August 4.
