Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Klopp not banking on an Aguero off-day
LIVERPOOL should not be considered favourites when they travel to face Manchester City in the Premier League tomorrow, manager Jürgen Klopp said yesterday, despite his side’s impressive record against teams near the top of the table.
The Merseyside club are unbeaten against the other teams in the current top-six this season, winning five of their nine league games against City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.
“I don’t think we are the favourites,” Klopp told reporters. “That’s not too bad. We know we can be difficult to play in games like this, that’s true. But we have to be on our best to get anything.
“I am looking forward to this, it’s a real tactical challenge. It’s an important moment in the season, but I don’t think we should involve this type of pressure. We know that it’s possible to win.”
City were dumped out of the Champions League by French side Monaco on Wednesday with striker Sergio Aguero having a rare off-day in front of goal but Klopp is not banking on another poor performance from the mercurial Argentine.
“To be active, you need to be brave. Monaco couldn’t do it in two halves. Second half (City) missed chance after chance. We cannot hope Aguero misses these chances,” the German added.
Under-pressure City manager Pep Guardiola may have found an unexpected ally in Klopp as the Liverpool boss has nothing but praise for the Spaniard.
“I am not in doubt about his qualities. I respect Guardiola a lot,” Klopp said.
Injured duo Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge will miss the clash at the Etihad Stadium while strikers Roberto Firmino and Divock Origi are doubts.
Liverpool will, however, welcome back defender Dejan Lovren, who has missed the club’s last five matches due to a knee problem.
Klopp’s charges are fourth in the table with 55 points, one behind third-placed City, who have a game in hand.
● Manchester United are not ready yet to become the dominant force in English football they were during the trophy-laden years of the Alex Ferguson era, manager José Mourinho has said.
United have finished seventh, fourth and fifth in the Premier League since the retirement of Ferguson, who led the club to 13 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies and five FA Cups in almost 27 years at Old Trafford.
Mourinho, who has already won the League Cup in his first season in charge, believes the club is still far from ready to compete for major trophies on a consistent basis.
“We are not ready to be a dominant force. We are not ready to try and win everything,” the Portuguese, the club’s third permanent manager since Ferguson stood down, told the BBC.
Mourinho, who won three league titles in two spells with Chelsea, also questioned the club’s transfer business under his predecessor Louis van Gaal, who sold strikers Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernan- dez as well as winger Angel Di Maria. “I would never have sold Di Maria, Chicharito (Hernandez), Danny Welbeck – no chance,” Mourinho added.
“I found a sad club. Manchester United sold players I would never sell, bought players I would never buy.”
Mourinho signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly at the start of the season and allowed midfielders Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin to leave the club in January.
United beat Russian side Rostov 1- 0 on Thursday to reach the last-eight of the Europa League and are sixth in the Premier League with 12 games to play. – Reuters