DON’T LOOK DOWN
Klopp won’t give up on title but admits top-four race is bigger concern
JURGEN KLOPP insists Liverpool will not give up on the title – but admits he will also be keeping an eye in the rearview mirror as his team try to hunt down Manchester City.
Klopp has seen his Reds prove there is life without Mo Salah and Sadio Mane – by beating Brentford in the Premier League, Shrewsbury in the FA Cup and Arsenal to clinch a place in the Carabao Cup Final – while his deadly duo are away on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
The Kop boss believes the key to Liverpool’s new-year renaissance has been a miserly defence that has conceded only one goal in four games.
And, while he admits it would be madness to claim his team will catch leaders City, he thinks the fight for the top four will keep his side focused.
Klopp said: “If I sat here and said, ‘I can smell it, we’ll get them (City)’, that would be really crazy, eh?
“But if I sit here and say, ‘We don’t even try’, that would be crazy as well. So the only thing we
can do is win games. We cannot wait for a slip or influence a slip from City. The only thing we can influence is our own performances – so just win as many as you can.
“It is very necessary because there is one spot for the champions and three more to qualify for the Champions League.
“This year is so crazy. Tottenham, for example, changed their manager because they weren’t happy and if they win their games in hand, they could go third and they are really close.
“United, you never know, Arsenal have potential, there’s Chelsea, West Ham are around. So we have to win an awful lot of football games. Then we will see where it ends up.”
Klopp admits there has had to be a change of emphasis, with Salah playing for Egypt, Mane for Senegal and Naby Keita for Guinea at AFCON.
Liverpool booked a Wembley date with Chelsea next month by keeping two clean sheets against Arsenal as Diogo Jota scored twice in the second leg at the Emirates on Thursday night.
Shrewsbury grabbed a shock early goal to take the lead in the third-round of the FA Cup before Liverpool roused themselves to score four.
And Brentford were beaten 3-0. Klopp said: “It’s the only way you can do it. When you lose key players to injuries or tournaments or whatever, it’s the only solution because you will not be flying in the next game.
“You can’t say, ‘OK, now we will score five or six and create chances like hell’. Wherever they are on the pitch, you have to adapt.
“In our case, it was 100 per cent clear that we need to be rock-solid. You don’t see it all the time, but we defend first. We have to be organised.
“And in this moment, I can see outstanding commitment to our defending, that’s how it is.”