Jurgen Klopp denies conflict with Philippe Coutinho

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Bengaluru, September 30: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that there is no rift with Philippe Coutinho and that harmony has been restored at Liverpool since the summer.

The Brazilian playmaker tried to force a transfer to Barcelona at the start of the season and stayed away from the first team with a back injury until after deadline day.

The move never materialised, with Liverpool holding off Barcelona in a public battle over the player which often looked ugly.

Coutinho has since returned to the Reds first team and scored in his second successive outing in the 1-1 draw at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday (September 26).

And Klopp is delighted the Brazilian is now back in goalscoring form.

“It’s just good to have him here,” Klopp said ahead of Sunday’s clash with Newcastle.

“We don’t have to talk about how we handled each situation (in the summer), we are professionals and we take it as it is.

“We had no idea how he would be after this injury. But he is in a really good shape now.

“The team, the others, were really happy when he was back. There were no difficult discussions, we are professional footballers.

“Being 100 per cent when the decisions are made, that is the only place to be.”

Coutinho lined up alongside Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah for the trip to Moscow for the first time this season and the quartet created plenty of chances.

And Klopp was delighted with how his attacking unit gelled.“Roberto worked hard and was unlucky moments. Phil and Mo had good moments.

“That’s the story of that game, but we have different options.

“Those four together has unbelievable quality but we cannot win without the other players.

“We’ve made a big step in terms of working together, but we cannot create much bigger chances. We score goals from more difficult moments than the ones we miss!

“We created without Sadio, without Phil, without Roberto and Mo.

“We have different lineups, but I have to make decisions once they are fit.”

“Sadio had nine or ten days without a game. He lacked rhythm a bit,” Klopp said.