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Liverpool’s Klopp sends Hong Kong boss Andersen Asian Cup ‘good luck’ message, Norwegian creating his own mentality monsters
- Jorn Andersen says the penny is dropping with his Hong Kong players, who are developing the mentality to compete with Asia’s top teams
- Head coach says Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp made contact ahead of first game against the United Arab Emirates
Jorn Andersen says fast-improving Hong Kong are on course to “beat a big team”, and the head coach revealed Jurgen Klopp sent him a personal good luck message in advance of the AFC Asian Cup finals.
Andersen succeeded the Liverpool manager as boss of German side Mainz 05 back in 2008, and the pair have remained friends ever since.
The Norwegian revealed he had been invited to visit the Premier League coach many times but had “never had time to go”.
“I sent him a message after their game against Arsenal on Sunday [Liverpool won 2-0 in the FA Cup], and he wrote back to say, ‘Good luck for the Asian Cup’.”
Klopp famously described his team as mentality monsters, and over a two-year reign Andersen has created a side in a similar image.
“I told the players from the start I needed more from them, that they needed a stronger mentality,” Andersen said. “Maybe, I ask more from them than they can give. But that is the only way I can develop them to compete at this level.
“If they like it [being pushed] or not, I do not know, and do not care. Every game, I tell them to go to their limit. I cannot have any player on the field not working hard for the team.
“When I started the job, I looked only for the best quality players. Now, I choose a lot of ‘mentality players’.
“Players like Sun Ming-him, Fat Gor [Lam Hin-ting], Vas Nunez, Tan Chun-lok. We need players who fight for the Hong Kong shirt for 90 minutes.”
Sun and Lam are two of the 10 players in Andersen’s Qatar squad who featured in last year’s Asian Games semi-final run.
“Without the Asian Games, a lot of them would not be in this squad,” he said. “I learned from that tournament, what I said to the players before the Asian Games, I repeated here.
“We are trying to convince them they are not so inferior to the strong teams, if they play the simple way we want.
“We have to work hard, win the ball, play it forwards, have high aggressive pressing, and be organised against the press. We are very compact, and developing in every position. Sooner or later, we will beat a big team.”
The first chance to slay a relative giant comes when Hong Kong begin their tournament against 2015 and 2019 semi-finalists United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Andersen insisted his side, who lost narrowly to Saudi Arabia in a friendly on Wednesday, would not be cowed by the occasion when they play the national team’s first Asian Cup finals match since 1968.
“It is different, of course, but we can play the same way,” Andersen said. “A stadium with thousands of spectators, and the game being on television, provides extra motivation.
“UAE play the same way as Saudi, and we are ready to compete against them.”
Vas Nunez and Wong Wai both came back from long lay offs to play the second half against Saudi Arabia. Defender Nunez “looked great” and, assuming no adverse reaction, is likely to start at the weekend. Oliver Gerbig’s impressive pre-tournament form makes him favourite for the other central defensive spot.
“The winner from preparation, along with Sun and Tan, is Oliver Gerbig, he took a big step,” Andersen said. “He struggled a bit against China, but in the past two games played really well.
“His physique is much better after these four weeks of training.”
Sean Tse Ka-keung has suffered a muscle injury in training, while fellow defender Helio Goncalves’ condition is being monitored following an injury in the win over China.
Andersen could conceivably summon replacements until six hours before kick-off against UAE.
“We thought about it for a long time, but there are not so many candidates in Hong Kong who can help us, or are better than these players,” he said.
Jorn Andersen says fast-improving Hong Kong are on course to “beat a big team”, and the head coach revealed Jurgen Klopp sent him a personal good luck message in advance of the AFC Asian Cup finals.
Andersen succeeded the Liverpool manager as boss of German side Mainz 05 back in 2008, and the pair have remained friends ever since.
The Norwegian revealed he had been invited to visit the Premier League coach many times but had “never had time to go”.
“I sent him a message after their game against Arsenal on Sunday [Liverpool won 2-0 in the FA Cup], and he wrote back to say, ‘Good luck for the Asian Cup’.”
Klopp famously described his team as mentality monsters, and over a two-year reign Andersen has created a side in a similar image.
“I told the players from the start I needed more from them, that they needed a stronger mentality,” Andersen said. “Maybe, I ask more from them than they can give. But that is the only way I can develop them to compete at this level.
“If they like it [being pushed] or not, I do not know, and do not care. Every game, I tell them to go to their limit. I cannot have any player on the field not working hard for the team.
“When I started the job, I looked only for the best quality players. Now, I choose a lot of ‘mentality players’.
“Players like Sun Ming-him, Fat Gor [Lam Hin-ting], Vas Nunez, Tan Chun-lok. We need players who fight for the Hong Kong shirt for 90 minutes.”
Sun and Lam are two of the 10 players in Andersen’s Qatar squad who featured in last year’s Asian Games semi-final run.
“Without the Asian Games, a lot of them would not be in this squad,” he said. “I learned from that tournament, what I said to the players before the Asian Games, I repeated here.
“We are trying to convince them they are not so inferior to the strong teams, if they play the simple way we want.
“We have to work hard, win the ball, play it forwards, have high aggressive pressing, and be organised against the press. We are very compact, and developing in every position. Sooner or later, we will beat a big team.”
The first chance to slay a relative giant comes when Hong Kong begin their tournament against 2015 and 2019 semi-finalists United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
Andersen insisted his side, who lost narrowly to Saudi Arabia in a friendly on Wednesday, would not be cowed by the occasion when they play the national team’s first Asian Cup finals match since 1968.
“It is different, of course, but we can play the same way,” Andersen said. “A stadium with thousands of spectators, and the game being on television, provides extra motivation.
“UAE play the same way as Saudi, and we are ready to compete against them.”
Vas Nunez and Wong Wai both came back from long lay offs to play the second half against Saudi Arabia. Defender Nunez “looked great” and, assuming no adverse reaction, is likely to start at the weekend. Oliver Gerbig’s impressive pre-tournament form makes him favourite for the other central defensive spot.
“The winner from preparation, along with Sun and Tan, is Oliver Gerbig, he took a big step,” Andersen said. “He struggled a bit against China, but in the past two games played really well.
“His physique is much better after these four weeks of training.”
Sean Tse Ka-keung has suffered a muscle injury in training, while fellow defender Helio Goncalves’ condition is being monitored following an injury in the win over China.
Andersen could conceivably summon replacements until six hours before kick-off against UAE.
“We thought about it for a long time, but there are not so many candidates in Hong Kong who can help us, or are better than these players,” he said.