Klopp expects Liverpool to fight Man City for title showdown

Posted Tuesday, December 28, 2021 by Tribalfootball.com

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is confident facing off with Manchester City for this season's Premier League title.

Liverpool and City have pushed each other on to set new standards at the top of English football in recent seasons, with both clubs setting record-breaking campaigns to come out on top in the title-race.

"I think it's possible. That's what we should be thinking because that's why we're here but it's difficult," he told reporters.

"It's absolutely difficult. Imagine the consistency of City but the consistency of my boys as well in the last few years.

"City because champions three years ago, one point ahead of us or 11 millimetres, we were chasing for the league for the whole year. Incredible. The year before that we got to the Champions League final but we lost it.

"The consistency the boys show is incredible but that's the only chance you have in a league with probably the best team in the world.

"It's really tricky to be ahead of them but, so far at least, we are not completely out of reach.

"It's not that we have absolutely no chance anymore but of course you know that City will not drop a lot of points so you better not drop points yourself.

"What do we have to do better? What we have to do at the top-level is defending, that's how it is. That's how we have to do it to beat that squad.

"It gives you the chance for consistency on top of that I really think we've improved a lot football-wise. We play some really good stuff, we are more difficult to defend (against) than we maybe were in the past.

"We've taken some good steps. Will it be enough? I have no idea. But without being at least as consistent as we've been, we'd have no chance.

"If we really want to go for the big one, we have to be even more consistent. We will see if that's possible or not but we will give it a try."

He continued: "I hope I don't eat my words but we are more stable than we were in the past. But we have to stay like this at least.

"That's the minimum. We have to play flexible football, direct football, creative football and we have to defend rock-solid and to be able to force things as well in games, like in the last minute or in the last second in other moments.

"We already had periods like when we went 2-0 up and the opponent came back. It's not like we learned it three years ago and will never miss it again, we had the situation this year and we learned from it. That's what we have to do as well.

"The things we don't do right, we have to learn from. That's what this group always, always did and it gives us some reason to be optimistic. But our opponents are incredibly strong and even when they're not flying, they win their games.

"City and us, we push each other to crazy heights. Imagine if we would have won the Champions League final the year before we won it and imagine if we would have won the Premier League the year before we won it.

"It would have been crazy what this group of players had achieved. But we didn't win that Champions League final and we didn't win that league. You can say by a point but for me it was 11 millimetres.

"There's nothing you can do better, it's just in these moments we were unlucky. That's the situation.

"When I think of the team in this period, there is no difference between becoming champion and coming second in that season because the performance over such a long time was absolutely crazy.

"It's pretty much not possible but the boys did it and didn't stop after that. We are motivated to the highest level. It's not so much because we won the league and couldn't celebrate.

"In 10 or 15 years when we look back, we won the league. It's not about the party around it. We had the party when we won the Champions League.

"Yes, we would like to have another party if we win something but life taught us differently so we have to appreciate the moments when we have people around and don't think too much about the moments when we don't have them around.

"Take it like it is, win what you can and carry on."