The Champions League might just suit Liverpool more than the Premier League

Away from arc lights and away from twitching microphones, Jürgen Klopp was leaning against the outside wall of Anfield’s press chamber, briefly collecting his thoughts in the same way entertainers do ahead of live performances. Breaking regularly to take massive swings from a bottle of water, Klopp was like like a front man limbering his vocal chords.

By then he had already entered a long conversation with a cameraman from Germany having greeted him with a bear hug. He had embraced with his agent, the much-respected agent Marc Kosicke, with a skin-tingling high five.

Klopp was pretty sure about the nature of the immediate questions he would face despite his team’s victory over Hoffenheim. With a huddle of journalists waiting for player interviews just a few feet away, he wondered openly how soon it would be before a question was asked in the next room about the future of Philippe Coutinho.

Klopp was entitled to be in such a combative, buoyant and celebratory mood.

Liverpool had reached the group stages of the Champions League for only the second time in eight years. He described Liverpool’s home qualifier with Hoffenheim as “the last game of last season.” It has taken him only one full campaign to take Liverpool back to the level of football where the club’s standards have historically been set.

Because of the prominence of its seemingly endless coverage, because of the level of finance involved, it is easy to become blasé or cynical about what this competition really means any more. In a practical sense, Klopp outlined the implications of progression a few minutes later: for the next 10 days, at least, there are certain discussions he won’t need to have with potential recruits because they will know about Liverpool’s schedule from herein and that schedule does not involve games on Thursday nights.

At every level of the club, it means plusses. Liverpool’s academy players will get to test themselves in the Uefa Youth League, Liverpool’s financial directors will be able to approve more lucrative commercial deals and the fans, whose emotions define how this club really feels about itself, will anticipate Thursday’s draw with more excitement than any other draw in the last decade.

Listening to Liverpool's players, you could sense what it really means. Jordan Henderson is Liverpool’s captain and he is 27-years-old. He has played only eight Champions League games in his entire career. You believe him when he says, “There are some brilliant sides in the competition but we’ll be confident going into the group stage whoever we get. We’ll put up a good fight against anyone.”

Henderson admitted there are areas where Liverpool need to improve ahead of their Premier League fixture against Arsenal on Sunday. When asked about where those areas are exactly, he responded emphatically – “Don’t concede!”

It feels like an understatement to say there is still a balance to be found in Klopp’s team. Hoffenheim was another one of those games where the opponent had chances and the outcome could have been different had those chances been taken. And yet, aside from Juventus, is there a team in European football known for its ability to defend? If Liverpool keep their attack fit and available, this could be a successful season. The Champions League might suit them more than domestic competition.

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It should also encourage that amongst Liverpool’s squad, there is a belief that at least one of them belongs in the highest category of footballer. “Sadio [Mané] is a world class player,” Emre Can said after the Senegalese forward contributed towards two of Liverpool’s goals with back-heels.

Can, who scored twice himself, described what he sees as a midfielder when he looks up at Liverpool’s rapid front three, which also includes Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino – the other two scorers in this game. “There are so many options,” Can said. “There is always a pass. They are quick and always moving into space.” And that is what any visitor to Anfield should be thinking about.