WE’LL GET OUR CROWN BACK
the Premier League trophy last term, they are not 20 points worse now.
Klopp said: “City has an incredible squad and the best manager in the world and that’s an incredible recipe. “But you can beat them. You have to be at your absolute best to do so. “There’s a big gap, but last year we created a pretty big gap between us and the other teams and that doesn’t mean we are 20-odd points better than the other teams. We still have to win games.” Klopp (above with Guardiola) insisted the financial gulf between Liverpool and teams financed by super-wealthy owners – such as City and Chelsea – does not guarantee their rivals will be successful, especially when the Reds get all their injured players back.
“City and Chelsea always have advantages in this and we still won the league and the Champions League,” he said. “It’s our situation and we work like we work. I never look at other clubs and say they can do this and we can’t do that.
“Getting the players back makes us already better. These are our first ‘transfers’. We don’t know when it will happen but it will happen.” training in pre-season having been out since after his challenge from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford at Goodison Park a month into the season.
“Even that is not sure,” added Klopp. “I don’t know how it came up he has a chance for the Euros. The injury he has has an average of 11 months’ recovery time. It happened in October so that is September.”
Van Dijk (right) says he will train through the summer, which he believes will allow him to start next season back in the Reds first team. He said: “It looks like I am on schedule to definitely be in pre-season with the boys. I am aiming for that and it looks like it is going to happen.
“You never know in football and you never know in life, but I am feeling very positive and ready to go. When the season ends it doesn’t really end for me.
“I will train every day, keep training until pre-season starts. I want to be ready and I will do everything that is possible to get ready. I will keep working and that’s definitely the only thing that I can promise – that I will keep going no matter what.
“It’s all positive.”