KLOPP SALUTES KOPITES
Fans motivate Reds, not the quest for ‘Holy Grail’, says Liverpool boss
LIVERPOOL are inching towards a first English league title in 29 years but manager Jurgen Klopp says his team must enjoy the journey with supporters and not focus solely on the “Holy Grail” of winning the Premier League crown.
Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Cardiff City on Sunday restored their two-point lead over champions Manchester City, who have played a game less.
“If you are only motivated to win the Holy Grail, then something is wrong with you,” Klopp told reporters.
“We want to win football games because we enjoy the ride with the fans. In the end, we will see how many points we have and then we get what we get.”
City can leapfrog Liverpool with a victory over Manchester United tomorrow before Klopp’s team take on relegated Huddersfield Town two days later.
“Some people up in Liverpool might ask us if we’re thinking about Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals. We’ll be completely focused on Huddersfield,” said Klopp.
Liverpool looked in to the
bright Easter sun in South Wales and did not blink. If City are to win the Premier League title, they will have to do it on the back of their own sustained excellence.
That City will defend their title still looks likely. If anybody expects United to do Liverpool a favour when they host City, they clearly haven’t seen Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team play.
So for Liverpool there may still be disappointment ahead and what deep disappointment that would be.
To recap, Jurgen Klopp’s team now have 88 points with three games to go and have lost only once. It is the club’s highest ever Premier League total. Yet they remain second favourites to cross the line first.
It is a stunning battle and if Liverpool really are going to lose out to the sheer monotony of City’s brilliance then they may as well do it like this. On the front foot, creating chances, scoring goals, winning matches.
This was not Liverpool at their best against a Cardiff side that played with spirit and courage. It is hard to play at your very top level at this stage of the season. City themselves are an example of that right now too. It is at this time of year, with dozens of games behind you and the pitches hardening, that the demands of the modern English game really begin to be felt.
But the Liverpool team built and driven on by Klopp have so much quality and such strong nerve that it continues to get them through.
This is a title race of stunning intensity and quality and it is far from over.