Liverpool FC may have lost two titles in the space of three days. Jürgen Klopp is not giving up just yet, but reveals how the recent setbacks are weighing on his players
“I fully understand that you have to ask these questions,” said Jürgen Klopp, but then made it quite clear that they still don’t suit him. A reporter at the press conference after Liverpool’s 1-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace wanted to know what that meant for the title race. “I’m not stupid,” replied Klopp, “the answer is pretty simple.”
It is this: with six games left, the Reds (71 points) must overtake new leaders Manchester City (73) and Arsenal FC (71), who are level on points, if they want to see off Klopp with the league title. “It’s just frustrating that we have to rely on others now,” complained left-back Andy Robertson. “We can’t drop any more points now. “
Liverpool had enough chances against Palace to avoid the next slip-up after the 2-2 draw at Manchester United, but also put in such a poor first half that Klopp admitted: “The criticism is completely okay and absolutely justified. Now it’s about how we deal with it. “
“We lost a bit more than a game against Atalanta “
The coach had already expected a reaction against Palace after the 3-0 debacle against Atalanta Bergamo in the Europa League quarter-final first leg. But the recent setbacks have clearly left their mark. “We saw a reaction – namely that we lost a bit more than just one game against Atalanta. That didn’t help. And then there was the United game before that, in which we dropped points. “
Have the Reds lost two titles in three days? “If we play like we did in the first half – why should we be champions? If we play like we did in the second half, we can win soccer matches. And if we win soccer matches, we’ll see how many,” said Klopp, not giving up, but also not exactly giving away any fighting words.
After all, the next tasks are tough: the second leg in Bergamo on Thursday is the first of four away games in a row, all in the space of just nine days. In the league, Fulham (21.4.), Everton (24.4.) and West Ham (27.4.) await. “That would have been difficult anyway,” said Klopp. It’s been a little more difficult since Sunday
