The Mercury

Reds can’t stop believing, says Klopp

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LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp told his side to stop behaving as if they had attended a funeral after a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday dealt a serious blow to their title challenge and handed the advantage to Manchester City.

"First and foremost we should stop behaving like it is a funeral," said Klopp.

"I didn't say that to the boys but it's a little bit the mood here. We still talk about football and these kind of things can happen. In my life, much worse things happened and I'm still here.

"The only chance we have is if something goes our way. Imagine City lose, I can't see it, but imagine if they do and we lose it (the title) because we don't believe any more. That would be crazy," said Klopp.

Liverpool, who have already won the League Cup, are chasing a quadruple of trophies this season after reaching the finals of the FA Cup and Champions League.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte said his side were worthy contenders for a spot in the Premier League top four after the draw and stayed in the hunt for Champions League qualificat­ion before they face their north London rivals Arsenal in a potentiall­y season-defining clash on Thursday.

"We deserve to stay in this race, because I think in November, not many people believed that Tottenham could fight until the end for a place in the Champions League. Now we are in the race and we are deserving of this."

Conte took over from Nuno Espirito Santo last year with Spurs languishin­g in ninth, and the Italian has revitalise­d their season by introducin­g defensive discipline and intensity in attack.

"On Thursday, we have an important game, a vital game, north London Derby against Arsenal, our rivals for this race.

“It's a vital game, and I want to try to get three points, because it will be very important to continue to evolve and to finish in the Champions League," Conte added. |

 ?? AFP ?? JURGEN Klopp |
AFP JURGEN Klopp |

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