Klopp says Man City defeat means ‘nothing changes’ for Liverpool
London (AFP) – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has insisted his side’s quest to win the Premier League title remains unaltered following Manchester City’s stunning defeat by Tottenham last weekend.
City’s 3-2 loss, with Spurs star and England captain Harry Kane scoring twice, and Liverpool’s earlier win over Norwich, saw Klopp’s men cut the reigning champions’ lead at the top of the table to six points.
That deficit will be reduced to three points should Liverpool win their game in hand at home to Leeds on Wednesday.
Klopp, however, remains convinced City will win all their remaining league games, meaning Liverpool must concentrate on themselves.
“I was on the way home when it was 2-1 to Tottenham and didn’t follow it anymore because I was sure they would equalise,” Klopp told a pre-match news conference on Tuesday.
“Then we went out and the driver was very excited and told me that it was 2-2 and then 3-2, I thought City won but it was Tottenham, so ‘Oh’ was my reaction.
“Nothing changes for us, we have to win all our games. I think you can expect that (Manchester City will win all their games). Historically it happens more often than not.”
The German added: “There are so many things that can happen in football. I cannot — I’m just not made for it — count points on our account before we’ve played the game.
“That’s why we have to be 100 percent focused on just this one game because we cannot win the game and the league and everything in one game. We just have to try to make sure we win a very difficult Premier League game.”
Leeds have won just one point from their last four games, a run that has seen Marcelo Bielsa’s men slip towards the relegation zone.
– Leeds can ‘eat you’ –
But with Leeds coming from 3-1 down in a 3-3 draw with Aston Villa and giving Manchester United a fright in an eventual 4-2 defeat this month, Klopp remains wary of the threat posed by the Yorkshire club.
“Leeds are very brave and exciting offensively,” said the Liverpool manager. “Defensively you can cause them problems but it’s difficult because of the man marking all over the pitch, if you’re not really in the game then they will eat you.
“They are missing a few decisive players: Patrick Bamford, (Kalvin) Phillips and (Liam) Cooper is pretty much their spine… But they never give up. We really have to make sure we are 100 percent spot on. If we are not ready for a fight, we will suffer.”
Klopp added Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota would miss the Leeds match through injury, with the forwards uncertain to face Chelsea in the League Cup final on Sunday.
“They were not on the pitch for training so that’s not a good sign,” he said. “We have to see what we can do with the boys in the next few days and we will make a decision later in the week.”