Jurgen Klopp has told his team their challenge with Manchester City now in the title race is simple: “Be as annoying as possible!”
Liverpool have the chance to go within three points of the Premier League leaders with victory over Leeds on Wednesday night…which prompted Pep Guardiola to humorously suggest they are “a pain in the ass”.
Klopp loved the City manager’s assessment of his side, and insisted that is exactly what they have to be now…to ensure that if City “go soft”, then the Reds are there ready to pounce in the “decisive” months of March and April.
“We try to be as annoying as possible, somehow, until we have a chance to overtake. I don’t know when they will be; IF that will be the case,” he explained.
“I think what Pep said, and maybe told me…we are a pain in the lower back, or can be (to them)...that’s a good description, and that’s how it should be.
“I think we are pushing each other, I think that is how it is a little bit, it just keeps you going. There is no chance to get a bit soft, because the other one will be there immediately to catch you.”
Klopp knows that City have the ruthless potential to win the majority of their remaining Premier League games, which is why he insisted that the title equation hasn’t changed: “We have to win all our games.”
But he is a firm believer that the key moments in the campaign don’t come in February, but in March through the Easter period in mid-April.
That means somehow staying with their impressive rivals until that decisive period, by slugging it out with them…and he argued that the intense rivalry between the pair inspires them both.
“It’s been going a while that both teams are able to do some special stuff, I have to say. And that’s with all respect, because City are doing something incredible,” he suggested.
“I don't forget the other teams who are pushing too. I don’t forget Chelsea, United, Arsenal, Tottenham, whoever is there. But we are pushing each other.
“What I always said is, you have decisive moments of the season but it is not now, it is not February, it is March, April, rather.
“So you have to be close enough to make a decision in your direction, and I don’t know if that will be the case because what we do is pretty special, and I don’t expect that to happen every week.”
A win over Leeds would take Liverpool to within three points of City, and the chance to overtake them with a game at the Etihad between the two title heavyweights in April.
And the Liverpool manager insisted that there is still hunger around Anfield to fight all the way with Guardiola’s intimidating side…despite the pride at how they’ve done that in seasons past already.
“we play Tottenham, still, we played United as well, and it’s not that we just count those points, like yeah, done, done, done, and we only wait for the middle of April for the City game.
“It’s difficult, tough, but what the boys did over the past four years is pretty special. And I’m happy with that, but not overly happy - not that happy that I think ‘ok that is enough’.
“We have to go from now on, we all know that for us it is so far not a bad season, but the decisions will be made later.
“One decision at the weekend, other decisions maybe even later and we just have to make sure we are always in and around, when these decisions will be made.”
