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Liverpool have not been playing well and winning games. There’s no escaping the obvious. It’s just not happening right now.
Jürgen Klopp certainly couldn’t claim otherwise.
“We don’t think and don’t feel we do everything and destiny is against us, it’s just the situation we are in”, the Liverpool manager told Sky Sports. “There’s no dreaming or wishing, it’s all about working and that’s what we do.
“Am I concerned? In a normal way, yes of course, because these are the things we have to do in training. We work on things to bring the boys as close as possible to the point where they have to take the final kick. That’s what we’ve always tried and we’ll carry on with that. That we change our approach in moments because of the opponent is clear as well. In the end, we have to make the right decisions.
“You don’t have to enjoy football when you can only become champions and you don’t only find results when you can become champions. There are a lot of different things you have to fight for and first and foremost, it’s three points at the weekend.
“If you do that often enough, then you have a chance in the end to fight for the league. Nobody knows what will be at the end of April or May but in this moment, we don’t really think about. If nobody asked, we would never mention it.
“My players are not silly, they know there is no guarantee to being champions. Imagine if I would sit here and say ‘the only thing we’re going for is winning the league, I’m angry with my boys because it looks like we don’t have a chance’. But that’s not my job.
“My job is to take it step-by-step and so far, that’s worked pretty well. Two years ago, we wanted become champions because we were close enough and when you are, you want it with all you have. When you are not close enough, you have to make sure you get closer and that’s the situation we are in.
“For us, even last year, the first thing you have to try to do is make sure we play in the Champions League the year after. This is a very strong league, a lot of teams will have that target and so it makes it so difficult but so important as well. You can plan differently for the year after with the money you can count on from the Champions League, it can change everything. But that’s how we’ve always seen it and how we see it now.”
Look, it has to change. Liverpool have been really poor. But Klopp seems to understand the way these things can fluctuate, and when there’s Klopp, there’s hope.