Jose is feeling the heat
JURGEN KLOPP admits the challenge of chasing down Manchester City will be tougher than taking on Bayern Munich with Borussia Dortmund.
Former Dortmund boss Klopp led the German side to back-to-back league titles in 2011 and 2012.
They are the only two years Bayern have failed to win the Bundesliga in the last nine.
Now Klopp is looking to overthrow Pep Guardiola’s champions at City.
As he prepares his side to host Brighton today, he knows it is a more challenging task than he faced in Germany.
He said: “The Premier League is harder for sure. You can give a few more points away. You have to be ready for all these games.
“Seven years ago was a completely different time, football has changed.
Rare
“The Premier League is a different challenge for us but that’s not important.
“I don’t want to compare it but if you could beat Bayern it was good because usually they had won all their other games.
“That will not happen here. Even City couldn’t do that last year. They got 100 points but that was a rare thing to do.
“I’m not interested too much in the difficulties of our challenge, I’m really working on the solutions and to ensure we are ready for all these games.”
Klopp is also wary about becoming obsessed with City as he believes there will be other challengers for the crown of Premier League champions.
He said: “My experience taught me that you only play twice against Bayern in a season.
“We were never chasing Bayern. When we weren’t playing against them, it just wasn’t interesting for us.
“Here we have more teams like this. If City isn’t the No. 1 then there will be others going for it.
“I really think Tottenham will have a brilliant season. They are together still and have a fantastic manager.
“A few other teams have a big chance too. Chelsea look really positive, Arsenal not a good start but that will change.
“Don’t look at the others, it doesn’t help you. You only have a problem with them twice over the course of the year. Just try to beat them in those two games and then beat the others as often as possible.”
Liverpool’s chances of closing the 25-point gap that separated them and City last season will be boosted if their attacking trio keep firing.
Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah already have four goals between them and while Roberto Firmino has yet to find the net, he is still the focal point of the attack.
Klopp added: “Of course he is involved in all of our offensive situations, even with opening the gap with a run or playing the pass or whatever.
“If anybody asked me how often he’d scored in the first two games it feels to me like four times but it was obviously not so far.
“His desire to score is as big as the other two. He doesn’t think too much about it.
“If he’s in a better position to shoot then he will shoot and if someone else is in a better position he will pass.
“If people talk about him because he’s a number nine, it’s not important for him and it’s not important for me. He will score goals, 100 per cent.” deliberate attempt to duck questions.
Mourinho had been due to start at 1.30pm but brought it forward 30 minutes, arriving in a dark mood and behaving like he didn’t want to be there – and he finished within 10 minutes.
United offered no explanation and didn’t apologise for what was a PR shambles.
But Mourinho made it clear he is seething about the criticism both him and his side have taken in the wake of last week’s 3-2 defeat at Brighton.
Mourinho sulked his way through 13 questions, but did find time to deny a rift between him and United supremo Ed Woodward.
Yet his behaviour will strengthen the growing belief Mourinho is heading towards a meltdown like the one he suffered in his second spell at Chelsea – which saw him sacked.
Fear
Starsport exclusively revealed this week how senior figures at United now fear the same thing could happen again following the exit of Mourinho’s right hand man Rui Faria in the summer.
He had been Mourinho’s assistant since 2002 and was said to be a positive and calming influence on his fellow Portuguese.
When asked about Woodward, Mourinho, said: “Of course (everything is fine with Woodward). No (there is no problem).
“Don’t ask me (about the criticism) because I don’t read it.
“I don’t know 10 per cent of what is written, of what is coming on TV screens – so I’m not the right guy to answer it. You (the media) are pessimistic – I’m not.”
And when questioned about Paul Pogba admitting that his attitude was not right at the Amex he added: “Paul said it, he has to answer by his words.
“If you want any explanation about Paul’s words you must get him and ask him.”
The Premier League last night said Mourinho had not breached their rules.