Win the lot... are you FOUR real?
REALIST REDS BOSS KLOPP LAUGHS OFF QUADRUPLE TALK AS PLAIN ‘CRAZY’
JURGEN KLOPP insists talk of Liverpool winning the Quadruple is crazy.
The Merseysiders won the first domestic competition of the season by capturing the Carabao Cup on Sunday with a dramatic penalty shoot-out win over Chelsea.
Although they trail Manchester City by six points in the Premier League, they have a game in hand and a meeting with the defending champions next month.
The Reds also have one foot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as they take a 2-0 lead into their last-16 second leg against Inter Milan next week, and tonight take on struggling Norwich in the FA Cup fifth round.
But manager Klopp said: “No team in the history of English football ever won the Quadruple, right? Because it’s really difficult.
“We are not even close to thinking about crazy stuff like that.
“We’ve won the Carabao Cup, we’re behind Manchester City in the league and now we have Norwich after 120 minutes on Sunday. Even Manchester City with all their quality did not win it. “The reality is that to win something you have to be absolutely focused on the next step and the one after that – and that’s what we do.
“I don’t see it as a compliment but it’s better people think we can do good things rather than be useless. But I don’t need this kind of compliment – we are close to nothing at the moment. We face a lot of good teams between now and the end of May. The smallest problem I have right now is thinking they [the players] could fly.”
Liverpool can keep their Quadruple hopes on track at Carrow Road but penalty hero Caoimhin Kelleher, left, will not feature against the Canaries.
His heroics in the final on Sunday will only heighten interest in the 23-year-old goalkeeper – and he may not even be the secondchoice keeper for long at Anfield.
Klopp said: “For young goalkeepers it is of course about development, and Caoimhin has developed here incredibly well. There’s absolutely no intention to sell him or something like that or give him a loan. Not at all.
“We need a strong number two. Winning a trophy, will that help [keep him]? You’ll have to ask Caoimhin that.
“He has a long-term contract and we have a long-term plan with him, but of course we want to help the boy as well become the best version of himself. “That’s what we did so far and that’s what we will continue to do as well. Maybe there is a year he will have to go out on loan. I’m not sure if it will be next year or maybe a year later than that.
“It depends a little bit on [young keeper] Marcelo Pitaluga – he is already in a good way.
“We have to judge that situation. Adrian is still here and doing an incredible job. We will see.”
Pitaluga, 19, joined Liverpool from Fluminense in October 2020.