Jurgen Klopp says guiding Liverpool to a top-four finish in the Premier League this season will represent a remarkable achievement.
Liverpool have two more games to play in this season’s Premier League and are just a solitary point behind Chelsea in the race for the final Champions League spot. The Reds have won their last three matches on the bounce, including a dramatic 2-1 triumph at West Brom on Sunday which saw goalkeeper, Allison Becker score a last-minute winner.
“Massive, absolutely massive. It will be one of the biggest achievements, ever,” Liverpool manager, Klopp told Sky Sports when asked what finishing fourth would mean to him.”I know how that sounds but it’s the truth. Everybody here sees it like that.
“If you are going to write a book about a season and you want to be depressed afterwards, you would probably take this season.
“You read it and then think, ‘that happened, and then that happened.’ Most of the things you would never get in public, it’s just that we had a lot of things to deal with.
“But, here we are. Whatever happened this year, it gave us the chance to hold our destiny in our hands with two games [to go.]”
Liverpool clinched their first Premier League title in stunning fashion last term, finishing 18 points clear of Manchester City to cap a remarkable rise under Klopp’s stewardship. Unfortunately, their standards have dipped significantly in 2020-21 amid a defensive injury crisis, with City wrestling back the title while the Reds have dropped out of contention for all four major trophies on offer.
The likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold have all taken in lengthy spells on the sidelines, with Klopp forced to stretch his squad to the limit in order to keep them in contention for European qualification. His side is now preparing for a tough trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley, where they must pick up another three points to keep the pressure on Chelsea ahead of a final day clash with Crystal Palace.
Klopp is expecting a difficult examination against the Clarets with supporters cleared to return after the lifting of coronavirus restrictions, as he added: “I am looking forward to the game at Burnley, it’s a different game, a different mindset, a different mood.”But we know how tough it will be. For the first time in ages, there will be supporters in the stadium at Turf Moor.
“Sean Dyche, a proper competitive guy, the team lost against Leeds pretty clearly, so they will want to strike back, all these kinds of things.
“It will be a tough one but qualifying for the Champions League should be tough, so I have no problem with that.
“We just need to make sure we are ready. We need to bring all we need on the pitch again.”
Story by Sammy Wejinya
©SPNAfrica News
www.spnafricanews.com
