JURGEN IS STILL ONLY LOOKING UP
JURGEN KLOPP insisted Liverpool will be title challengers this season and beyond. The Anfield boss reacted passionately to his side’s failure to beat Manchester United, despite dominating possession and chances, by boldly stating his team are within touching distance of the title. The German believes there is no gap in quality between his own side and Jose Mourinho’s men, who briefly went top of the Premier League with their grimly earned point on Merseyside. And even though Liverpool have won just one of their last eight matches now, Klopp explained that he has seen enough this season to believe they will threaten the sides at the summit of the Premier League. He said: “We have to do whatever is necessary and we will be challengers. We will be challengers for the next few years no problem. “We showed big heart, we were brave. I thought we were smart in doing the right thing at the right moment, but in the end it didn’t work out. “I am not overly-positive, I am not crazy but I really see we are still good, and that is what I try to push. “People around the stadium today saw a game they wanted to see – but they all had Liverpool shirts on.” The fascinating dynamic that unfolded at Anfield had Mourinho as the tactical master, while Klopp has tended to be portrayed as naive this season, with his bold attacking plans. Yet, Klopp dismissed such talk as bizarrely negative, suggesting: “If we don’t score five times it is not good enough, if we concede even one goal we have a bad defence – that is how it is in our city.” And he told worried Anfield fans they must start seeing the positive from a team that forced United to radically change their system, in an attempt to negate Liverpool’s threat. “For me today, one team who can become champions this year was in our stadium and is not a world apart from us,” he explained. “It’s not that we are playing on different planets and they are really good and we do not find the entrance to the stadium.” And a defiant Klopp (left) could not resist one last parting shot at his rivals at the other end of the M62 – and their desperately dour tactics. He said: “I’m sure if we played like this, you could not do this at Liverpool. “But obviously for Manchester United, it is OK.”