Klopp Talk: “We Don’t Chase City”

It was one of Liverpool FC’s best performances in a season that’s starting to feel really special. A 6-0 thumping of Leeds United to make it a mere three points behind league leaders Manchester City, and Jürgen Klopp was surely feeling the vibes in Anfield, as he emphatically fist-pumped towards the fans, throwing in a couple more than usual, at the final whistle.

Speaking at the post-game press conference, Klopp lauded the Anfield faithful and the atmosphere at the game:

I’m not so sure – if I’d been there 10 seconds later I wouldn’t have done it. But in that moment I got a little bit carried away, obviously it doesn’t happen too often anymore to me but in this moment it happened and absolutely fine for the moment. I really loved how the whole stadium responded to the game tonight and how we were really in the game as a unit. I couldn’t be more thankful for the support of the people because so many things happen only because of them. I’m really happy that from time to time – it will not happen a lot – but we can give them a performance and a scoreline like tonight. That’s it, pretty much.

He touched briefly on the title race and what Liverpool have to do now:

Honestly, we don’t chase City; we try to win our football games. The thing is now we have obviously the cup final at the weekend and City play, I don’t know exactly who, but they might probably win this game then it is six points again before we play the next Premier League game. I am not sure then if we play the next game after them or before them, [but] it might be nine points all of a sudden, so we don’t have to count these kind of things. We just have to win our football games. Do we do that front-footed? Yes, but as much as I love the goals we scored tonight, I loved the clean sheet because everything we do is based on a top-organised defensive performance. Without that we are just a good football team, but with that we can be a successful football team.

I like the determination we showed again tonight for defending, the commitment of the boys. It is an interesting period, definitely – an interesting period of the season coming up. Now we play the final, then FA Cup, then West Ham, so nobody should count the points before we play them because we lost the game there, so there is obviously, as we say, an open bill. We have to clarify something, but that is in 10 days or so and so many things can happen until then. We just have to stay really focused on: go for it with all we have.

That’s really all Liverpool can do. They’ve been in this position before and they know what to do. Take it one game at a time, don’t count points before they’re won, win matches and hope for more Manchester City stumbles along the way.

Next up, the Carabao Cup final. A trip to Wembley against a familiar foe in Chelsea and the first shot at silverware this season beckons. Up the clean sheet having, six-goal scoring pain in the ass Reds.