Klopp: We’re top but City are still the benchmark

JURGEN KLOPP claims Manchester City remain the team to beat rather than his Liverpool table-toppers.

Klopp says Pep Guardiola’s champions are still the benchmark for everyone else in the Premier League because they are performing so well.

The Liverpool boss admires how they have maintained their standards from last season when they won the title in record-breaking fashion.

“Being completely neutral about it, I look at it and say, ‘Yes, the team to beat are obviously City’,” he said.

“I don’t think that way about us to be honest with you because I see us every day, every week, and I know we have to work on that.

“They are really, really, really good. I have to respect that. I can’t say City are lucky here and lucky there, they aren’t. Every match day, they are spot-on.

“They were last year, when they got 100 points, and they stay in that mode.

“There’s no sign of weakness. That’s why I say it.

“They are the current champions and they still play like champions.

“The desire I see at City after being such clear champions, that’s special. We are all the challengers.”

Klopp may be trying to ease the pressure on Liverpool because their unbeaten start has raised expectations of a first title since 1990 and he insists the chasing pack cannot be ruled out.

“But not only City,” he said. “Tottenham have so many injury problems, the shortest break after the World Cup – I don’t know how many Belgian and English players they had – no pre-season and won all the games in a difficult situation.

“Now they are six points behind us. Wow! That’s really massive. Arsenal’s start, Chelsea, that’s all really good.

“So how can we think about anything else other than just winning games and getting as many points as we can?”

Liverpool can open up a four-point lead if they beat Wolves tonight at Molineux and Klopp claims their form would be impossible without strong characters Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson in their dressing room.

“No chance,” said the German. “I always say, it is never about one player or a second player. It helps massively in our case that

Ali and Virg are fantastic boys who ‘solved’ our problems if you like, but in a s**t dressing room there’s no chance.

“Hendo didn’t start against United or Milly because of injury. But if you see who’s talking in our dressing room before a game when the music is loud and people are shouting, it’s Milly and Hendo.

“Now Virg starts, even Ali throws in a few words. It’s always the same players.”