Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool’s top-four rivals their renewed confidence will make a significant difference to the pursuit of the final Champions League spot. And the Reds boss believes the fixtures with those teams above his before now and the end of May will be crucial as they get set for a showdown with fierce rivals Manchester United this weekend. Liverpool host third-place United on Sunday afternoon and still have to entertain league leaders Arsenal and Tottenham, who occupy the final Champions League place, while visits to Chelsea and Manchester City are also set for early April. Klopp, whose side have taken 10 points from the 12 on offer in the Premier League, says those fixtures will be vital for Liverpool’s aim of hauling back Spurs, who are currently six ahead, having played a game more.
Jurgen Klopp said: “The important thing about the chase is that the chase is not a one-day trip. You really have to go for it. I have no clue what it means to them but I think they realise already we are not completely gone. It is not that if we are in no man’s land. And that is clear. But we have played pretty much all of the teams ahead of us still – Newcastle not anymore but Tottenham still have to come here. Tottenham won their game against Chelsea so if they win all their games our chase is pretty much over already. We don’t have to think about that, just take it game by game and go for it, go full throttle for it, go really into the game and try to win it somehow, and use the good moments and don’t suffer from the lesser good moments.”
Jurgen Klopp added: “So many things you have to do and that is what I liked about the last game (against Wolves). I know it was not the most fancy football game we ever played. We had a difficult first half but it was a good first half, it was just a normal football game, it is not like we created chance after chance after chance, but against a defensively well-organised team we created two or three moments, we were the better team, not flying but good. Then we had a disallowed goal and we overcame that and scored two, it’s very important in football you grow into the game. You can’t always win the game when the first shot is a goal. A lot of good things have happened in the last few weeks, but because of the Madrid game it doesn’t feel like that, but so far it goes in the right direction but we have to make further steps. What it means for the other teams I don’t know. I am not there but they know we are still around and that’s better than if they can’t see us any more.”
