Klopp Talk: Seeking Perfection & Learning from Past Mistakes
The Reds lost to Manchester United in the clubs’ last meeting
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp spoke to the press ahead of the marquee match at Old Trafford this Sunday, looking to contextualize the game in the final stages of this season’s title battle. Asked if the Reds need to be “perfect” to win the Premier League, Klopp was direct:
That’s obviously how it is in the Premier League. Tell me a different race? We became champions [in 2019-20] and it was obviously decided pretty early, otherwise probably [Manchester] City as well here or there, but most of the time they were tight races and it looks like a tight race. So, if it’s a tight race then the best place you can be is in it. We are in it and that’s cool, that’s good. And now let’s keep fighting, that’s how it is.
Obviously the next one is the big one, like they all are. Somebody said we had the best fixture list or schedule; I looked at it and I really don’t know how you can have had that idea, maybe I’m too negative but it’s a tough one, good opponents. But we are ready and we want to be in that fight, so let’s see what we can make of it.
Though refusing to add to the hype around the match — Liverpool will be looking to win them all, of course — Klopp did discuss the disappointment around the last match, which saw a very in control Liverpool lose late on to a Manchester United side that had seemed beaten, going out of the FA Cup:
The story of the game, we spoke after the game about it – they started better, then we took over and we were really good that day but we didn’t finish the situations off in extra-time. The good news is we will not have twice 15 minutes [of] extra-time. That was too much for us that day, we couldn’t control it anymore and made mistakes we didn’t make before at all. And United turned the game around.
United is a top side playing at home, we all know that. But we cannot just tell, ‘Let’s do what we did from minute 15 to, I don’t know, 70-something.’ Football is not that easy. We have to find a way to cause United problems and they will try exactly the same. On that level, with this opponent, in this stadium, we better play a really good football game, to be honest, if we want something there.
Liverpool will hope to make up for two disappointing results — a loss in the FA Cup and a draw at Anfield — against an often unimpressive United side this Sunday.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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