LONDON • Liverpool are inching towards a first league title in 29 years, but Jurgen Klopp has called on his team to bask in the journey with their supporters and not be consumed by the "Holy Grail" of lifting the Premier League crown.
The Reds' 2-0 victory at relegation-threatened Cardiff on Sunday restored their two-point lead over champions Manchester City (86 points), who will play their game in hand against cross-town rivals Manchester United tomorrow.
While Pep Guardiola's men will return to the top of the table should they win at Old Trafford, it has still been a season to cherish for Klopp and his players, with just three league matches left.
He said: "If you are only motivated to win the (league title), then something is wrong with you. We want to win football games because we enjoy the ride with the fans.
"In the end, we will see how many points we have and then we get what we get."
Georginio Wijnaldum's second-half opener - a cleverly worked corner routine which resulted in Trent Alexander-Arnold's cutback - and James Milner's late penalty secured a ninth consecutive win in all competitions for Klopp's men, a result he called "really massive".
The German said: "We spoke a lot about this game, how special it is, how special the situation is for the opponent. It was not a game for playing around. It was a battle of will, who wants it more."
Â
BONE HARD
Dry pitches are dangerous for the players injury-wise... the ball doesn't roll that quick and it's difficult for the fluency of the game.
JURGEN KLOPP, Liverpool manager, is not happy with the pitch at Cardiff.
He also revealed that Wijnaldum's strike was from "not from the training ground, but from the dressing room at half-time when the boys decided to do that".
He said: "We put a lot of emphasis on set pieces. We know Cardiff are outstandingly strong on offensive set pieces but, from time to time, they have problems with defensive set pieces. Some of the boys obviously found that out.
"A brilliant goal, I loved it."
He blasted the playing surface, which was not watered despite the baking temperatures and was "bone hard".
He said: "The ball didn't roll like normal. Everybody saw it. Dry pitches are dangerous for the players injury-wise and you know why people leave the pitch dry.
"The ball doesn't roll that quick and it's difficult for the fluency of the game."
Cardiff boss Neil Warnock denied he had ordered his groundsmen not to water the pitch and did some finger pointing of his own - at Mohamed Salah, who won Milner's spot kick. He accused the forward of going down too easily and that he could not have "got much higher off the diving board".
Klopp insisted it was a penalty because Cardiff captain Sean Morrison "used the hand four or five times".
He started the mind games ahead of City's tricky trip to United, who were routed 4-0 at Everton on Sunday, saying he is not counting his chickens yet.
"Even if United get a point or something, we still have to play games after that. We just have to stay focused on our things," said Klopp, whose team host Huddersfield on Friday.
"Some people up in Liverpool might ask us if we're thinking about Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals (on May 1).
"We'll be completely focused on Huddersfield."
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, THE GUARDIAN
Family launch private search for missing footballer Emiliano Sala "The fund-raising appeal launched late Friday afternoon enabled Emiliano Sala's relatives, via a specialised organisation, to
Emiliano Sala campaign raises £130,000 to fund private search
Son contemplated Tottenham exit until discussion with Pochettino Tottenham's Son Heung-min speaks after winning the London Football Awards Premier League player of the year at the London
Son contemplated Tottenham exit until discussion with
SINGAPORE - Former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general secretary Winston Lee withdrew his candidacy for one of nine seats on the executive committee members of the Asian Football
Football: Ex-FAS general secretary Winston Lee withdraws
Manchester City celebrated their domestic treble with an open-top bus parade on Monday, drawing an estimated 100,000 fans to the streets of the city centre. Pep Guardiola's City side became the
Treble winners Manchester City enjoy parade | football
Alexis Sanchez came back to haunt Arsenal as the Chilean opened the scoring in Manchester United's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win on Friday to maintain Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's 100 percent record as
Sanchez haunts Arsenal as Man Utd maintain perfect record
History made as first all-female referee team to officiate men's AFC Cup clash The AFC Cup match between Myanmar's Yangon United and Cambodia's Naga World at the Thuwunna Stadium will witness this
History made as women to referee men's AFC Cup | Greater Kashmir
Football: Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after Liverpool blip MANCHESTER, England (REUTERS) - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes critics have been too quick to write off his side's chances of defending the Premier League crown, and he expects more twists and turns in the title race.
Guardiola predicts roller-coaster title run-in after
Ajax stunned Juventus to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1997 as Matthijs de Ligt's thumping second-half header secured a 2-1 second-leg victory in the last eight
Ajax stun Ronaldo's Juventus to reach Champions League semis
Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur "need to believe" they can still win the Premier League title after his side responded to Leicester City's victory over Sunderland with a
What the Spurs need to do to have a successful offseason
Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool's Premier League rivals that the leaders are laying the foundations for long-term success. Klopp's side sit four points clear at the top as they chase Liverpool
Liverpool laying groundwork for sustained success, says Klopp
City's title surely but brighton no pushovers, Football News
MANCHESTER: Pep Guardiola says Manchester City and Liverpool have raised the bar in what is required to win a Premier League title after a blockbuster campaign by both teams. If both sides win
Guardiola: Man City have raised the bar in EPL, Latest
0 comments:
Post a Comment