Klopp Talk: “It’s Just the Start”

Liverpool are in an enviable position. Eight points clear of their nearest challengers in the table. A full nine points clear of their presumed biggest rival for a league title that would mark their first of the Premier League era and first since 1990.

It’s a good place to be heading into the November international break. But there’s still a long way to go; a lot of games to play. Jürgen Klopp’s Reds haven’t won anything yet—and if they let up there’s still plenty of time left for others to pass them.

“It’s just the start, that’s how it is, everybody knows that,” Klopp told the club’s official website when asked about his side’s spot at the top. “If you would have told me that you can have 34 points, wow! It’s pretty much impossible but we did it.

“Now the boys go for the last international break of the year. Hopefully they all come back healthy and then we go to Crystal Palace. I think the last games are somewhere on the planet on Tuesday [and] we play on Saturday against Crystal Palace.”

Eleven wins, one draw, and 34 points after a dozen games. Having sustained a 100-plus point pace for the entirety of the 2019 calendar year. Right now, Liverpool are the best side in England and probably the best side in all of Europe, too.

But when it all counts is May of 2020, not November of 2019. What they’ve managed so far this season is a good start—a great start—but it only matters if they can keep getting results and keep hold of their place in the coming weeks and months.

“So they will fly back on the Wednesday,” Klopp added, “Thursday have a recovery session, Friday [train], Saturday ‘Hello, Crystal Palace!’ That’s the situation. Nothing happens so far but it’s still the best situation we could have asked for.”