TITLE-TATTLE Kop boss laughs off Pep’s champions talk

JURGEN KLOPP got the joke when Pep Guardiola claimed that Liverpool have “already won the title”.

But the Kop boss has called on his players to make sure they have the last laugh on Manchester City, by maintaining the steely focus that has seen them become the early pacesetters this season.

Klopp is adamant nothing has been decided in any way yet – despite seeing his side win their first five games to open up a healthy lead over Guardiola’s

(right) faltering champions.

City crushed Watford

8-0 yesterday to narrow the gap at the top to two points.

Liverpool travel to Chelsea today – and Klopp said: “It hasn’t been won already.

“Pep knows that – and that is why I understand, 100 per cent, why he made a joke about it.

“This season won’t be like last season. We have seen that already, with every team making big steps.

“There is not a team in the league who I think will go down with hardly any points. You’ve got Watford who were at the bottom with two points but, performance-wise, they could already have had five, six or seven points.

“Wolves are also struggling a bit – but will end up going back up – so we have already seen that the league is different this season. I think that’s why Pep responded like he did with a joke because nothing has happened so far.

“We’ve had just five games and so many things can still happen. You simply cannot think that far ahead.

“We have enough to do just thinking about the next game, then the next game and the next game.”

Liverpool lost only one league game last season and collected 97 points – but it still wasn’t enough to take the title from City.

In the end the draws killed them. The 1- 1 stalemate at Stamford Bridge last September was fol lowed by similar outcomes against Arsenal, Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Manchester United.

Yet Klopp has warned that taking too many risks against the best teams in the division can often prove fatal. He said: “We know that one more win would have been enough last season, but we also know that sometimes when you try to win, you can end up losing.

“You have to make sure you stay in the game. You cannot always go for the result, because the league is so strong that if you open up in the last 20 minutes then you give the other team a chance to win.

“So you have to be solid and you have to be sensible.

“I also don’t think you can compare this season with last.”