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Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will experience a familiar rush heading into Sunday’s clash with Manchester City, despite writing off their Premier League title chances.
Klopp has openly dismissed the possibility of the Reds contending for top spot this term, having already slipped 14 points behind leaders Arsenal and 13 adrift of champions City.
Liverpool have regularly been City’s closest challengers in recent seasons, twice taking them to the final day and winning the title themselves in 2019-20.
As such, matches between the two teams have made for compelling viewing, with the championship seemingly on the line.
Yet Klopp, while acknowledging his side will not be celebrating come May, suggests the title element could still be relevant this weekend as Liverpool welcome City – “definitely the best football team in the world” – to Anfield.
“It could be [a title decider] this year… just not with us,” Klopp said.
“When you play City, the results left and right are not really important. This game requires all your focus, requires all the things you know about football.
“I enjoy preparing the game really, but it’s the biggest challenge you can face in football.
“Football is all about closing down spaces, closing down players, making challenges in the right areas, these kind of things. With City, it’s always: if you close down here, they are there; if you close down that gap, you open up that gap. The pitch is so big, and we have only 10 players to close all the gaps.
“It’s always a challenge. It’s not that we now feel different; it’s a home game, it’s Anfield, it’s us against Man City.
“They are, at the moment, definitely the best football team in the world, that’s how it is. But we will give it a try anyway, knowing there are no guarantees. We get help from a full Anfield and we try to use that.”
Liverpool come into the match on a high after winning 7-1 against Rangers in the Champions League.
That was an encouraging result and performance for Klopp, but having also beaten Bournemouth 9-0 this season before again struggling, he added a joke at his team’s expense.
“It’s helpful when these boys at least still know where the goal is,” he said. “We just need to spread the goals a bit more to different games.
“We should not focus on one, then nine, then seven, then nil. We know that.”
