Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool need to ‘play better football’ if they are to finish this season as Premier League champions, but still need a ‘crisis’ at both Manchester City and Arsenal too.
Having led the league from December until early April, Liverpool have stumbled at the wrong time, taking only four points from the last 12 available to them – including damaging defeats at the hands of both Crystal Palace and Everton.
Within the last five weeks they have also been knocked out of both the FA Cup and Europa League, leaving once optimistic hopes of a potential quadruple for Klopp’s final season in tatters.
The Reds trail current Premier League leaders Arsenal by three points, while they could be five behind City once games in hand are fully unravelled. With only four games left for Klopp’s side, time is quickly running out and momentum is not on their side.
Speaking to media after the Merseyside derby loss, Klopp revealed the ‘crisis’ needed at rival clubs in order to savour the Reds’ chances.
“We need a crisis at City and Arsenal, and need to win football games, because if they start now losing all the games and we do what we did [against Everton], nothing changed,” the boss said.
“And we are not safe in the Champions League as well so we should just play better football.”
Klopp’s claim that Liverpool could be at risk of dropping out of the four, while not incorrect, is unlikely to become a problem. Fifth place Tottenham Hotspur are 14 points behind and, despite having two games in hand, only have 18 left to play for.
It would take a near perfect run from them and a spectacular collapse at Anfield to make up that gap in what is left of the season.
But the Reds have still lost four of their last nine games in all competitions, compared to four defeats in their previous 45 games – stretching back to the start of the season in August.
“There are different aspects [behind the dip in form], definitely,” Klopp said. “Players who played all the games are not that fresh, but that is for other teams the same. I don’t want to use that as an excuse, really – as long as the boys are fit, not injured, that helps.”
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