Ex Salzburg player describes his debut experience at Liverpool

January signing Takumi Minamino made his debut in the Merseyside derby on Sunday night and revealed Liverpool’s style of play is similar to that of his former club Salzburg

Ex Salzburg player Takumi Minamino, who was signed by Liverpool made his debut in the Merseyside Derby on Sunday night.

Takumi revealed that Liverpool’s style of play is similar to that of his former club Salzburg. He said his Liverpool debut VS Everton was one of the most “intense” games he’s ever played in – but adds he also mentioned it wasn’t something new as well.

Takumi made his first appearance for the Reds post his £7.25million January transfer from Salzburg, before making way for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on 70 minutes.

The Japanese midfielder revealed Liverpool’s style of play was similar to Salzburg’s but admitted the system was different, and that he needs to get used to it.

“I’m happy that now I’m a part of this team,” said Minamino.

“It was probably one of the most intense matches I’ve played, but I knew the Premier League would be like that so I wasn’t surprised.

“The way we press aggressively, the way we press back, the way we use the space between lines is similar to Salzburg.

“But the system is not the same so I have to understand the difference and fit myself into this team. I think this is the best stadium for a footballer. The fans were great and I’m just glad we won.”

Jurgen Klopp said on account of the match, “I saw a sensationally good performance of a not very experienced team with a lot of players playing for the first time on this kind of stage, in front of this crowd, against the opponent.

“It was outstanding. I loved it – I loved each second of this game. If you want to be a Liverpool player, you have to respect the principles of this club.

“We cannot always play the best football in the world but we can fight like nobody else. And as long as we use our principles, we will be a difficult opponent to play against.”