Jurgen Klopp is confident that Darwin Nunez will not rise to the bait in the Merseyside derby.
Nunez is back in contention for Saturday’s clash with Everton after serving a three-game ban for headbutting Crystal Palace defender Joachim Anderson.
The Uruguay international could be handed a starring role by Klopp despite the exploits of Roberto Firmino as the central striker during his absence.
But the Liverpool manager downplayed concerns about Nunez again reacting to potential antagonism in his side’s lunchtime showdown at Goodison Park.
“He’s a wonderful young man, honestly, but he has emotions as well,” said Klopp.
“We didn’t speak for the full 15 days, every day about it and told him, ‘you have to calm down’. Of course we told him not only now but now especially.
“I think Luis Suarez told him [too]. I’m not sure they spoke privately but probably they did via news and using some media.
That will happen but it happens to others as well, that’s how it is. You just have to ignore it and use it.
“Our ideas and how we want to think in these situations, we pay back but with football.
“I don’t think (James) Tarkowski and (Conor) Coady are famous for too much this kind of talking through the game.
“Most of the things he doesn’t understand anyway so they don’t have to be too creative with it. I don’t think the two boys are like this, but who knows?
“If he plays then he has to be ready for these kind of things, that’s clear.
“But when a player is talking to you a lot or is really physical and stuff like this, he’s not in his own game and he has to use these kind of moments.
“If the other one is too busy with wanting to distract him, you just have to use it from a football point of view.
“The Crystal Palace game when the defender’s searching for constant contact then you go from there and decide when to start the movement.
“But again it was a lot what came together for the boy, it’s all new, it was the first home game so it means a lot of excitement.
“The emotional level you go into a game is already [high]. You don’t need a lot to be a bit too emotional.
“Will it never happen again? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure nothing will happen in the next game.”