Klopp Talk: “Our New Year Starts in May”

Liverpool haven’t lost in the Premier League in a year. In fact, they haven’t lost in the league since they faced Manchester City in their first match of 2019. Since then, they’ve played 37 games, winning 32 and drawing five.

Going back to the last time they lost in the league before the City match last season, which was against Chelsea in the 2017-18 season, they’re 50W 8D 1L in their past 59 games. Break it down how you like, it’s been a hell of a run.

“I’m not a native speaker so don’t have enough words for them,” Jürgen Klopp said after the match when he was asked about the run his players have gone on in the league since the last time they dropped three points.

“The boys are exceptional, but tonight we didn’t think about one year or whatever. We thought about winning. That was the target and that’s how it always was. The boys were 100% focused and that’s the important thing.”

And while Klopp was rightfully proud of his players—both for the win tonight and for the results they’ve managed over the past year—he wasn’t about to get too carried away by how they’ve done this past year.

Because when it comes to achieving their goals, success quite obviously isn’t measured in calendar years. Nobody wins a trophy for most points earned between one New Year and the next. Success is measured in seasons.

“Our new year starts in May,” he added when asked about his approach to 2020 after such a successful 2019. “We have the rest of the season before we make any resolutions.”