Liverpool need to be more clinical for title tilt, says Klopp
LIVERPOOL’S reinforced squad must build on their ruthless form from last season if they are to challenge defending Premier League champions Manchester City for the title, manager Jurgen Klopp said yesterday.
Klopp has made four big money signings, adding goalkeeper Alisson, midfielders Naby Keita and Fabinho and winger Xherdan Shaqiri, giving supporters genuine optimism ahead of the new campaign.
But the German insists they are still underdogs in the battle for the league crown, saying: “We are still Rocky Balboa and not Ivan Drago.
“We have to be more consistent. More clinical. More aggressive in the right moments. We need to improve everything.
“We have to be in a championship mode. We jump into the water and we dive until we don’t have oxygen anymore. That’s the plan. A lot of people think because of the transfer window we will (challenge more) – but that’s not how it is.”
Klopp accepts the pressure ahead of tomorrow’s opening match against a much-changed West Ham United but said his team will also need a change in luck if they are to catch last year’s runaway champions City.
“Someone gave me the unluckiest team article,” Klopp added, referring to a study released this week that said Liverpool dropped the most points last season, 12, in matches affected by wrongly disallowed goals or incorrect decisions.
“You ask me about the gap with City. We had three points from City and they had three points from us. It’s about losing them in other games.”
Klopp said there could be further departures, with the transfer window still open for major leagues in Spain, France, Italy and Germany.
“The window is only one way closed so we cannot buy any more but we can sell not in Premier League – but it is clear things will happen,” he said.
Meanwhile, off the pitch the furniture at Tottenham Hotspur will have a shiny new look but on it there will be familiarity as the London club begin a fifth season under Argentine Mauricio Pochettino.
After a season lodging at Wembley, Spurs return to their home since 1899 where a new £850 million stadium has risen on the site of their White Hart Lane ground.
The 62000-seater will be a stunning backdrop as they try to build on the progress which made them a fixture in the Premier League top four.
Last season’s third-place finish followed a runners-up spot and another third – an impressive sequence considering the club’s net spend was dwarfed by the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in the same period.
Once again Tottenham have been conspicuous by their absence in the transfer market in the build-up to the new campaign.
They had failed to add any new faces despite Pochettino at the end of last season suggesting the club’s hierarchy needed to “be brave and take risks” in order to compete for silverware.
Either chairman Daniel Levy has something up his sleeve late in the transfwer window, as has been the case in previous seasons, or Pochettino’s plea has fallen on deaf ears.
While the lack of squad-strengthening is causing consternation among the fans, Tottenham’s squad is still young and looks more than capable of standing its ground.
Nine Spurs players featured in the World Cup semi-finals – more than any other club – and the likes of England quartet Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Eric Dier and Kieran Trippier will again form an important part of Pochettino’s plans.
Belgium’s Jan Vertonghen remains Tottenham’s defensive rock, although there are doubts as to whether his compatriots Toby Alderweireld and Mousa Dembele will remain with the club.
Their Spanish striker Fernando Llorente has enjoyed a full pre-season and, providing he does not seek regular first-team football elsewhere, could offer more in the way of back-up to Kane this term after a frustrating opening campaign.
Arsenal fans heading to their clash with Manchester City on Sunday will do so with a sense of excitement and a little trepidation as new manager Unai Emery begins the post-Wenger era with the toughest of all opening matches.
The Spaniard is not the only new manager hoping to make an instant impact.
The experienced Maurizio Sarri is the latest incumbent in the Chelsea hot seat having replaced Antonio Conte last month. The Italian takes his side to Huddersfield Town today where Kepa Arrizabalaga, the world’s most expensive keeper at £71 million, is set to make his debut. – Reuters