Klopp Admits Liverpool Way Behind In Title Race, Rates Arch Rivals Much Better!!
Dec 12, 2016 at 1:55 PM
Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool are now struggling to stay in the title race with Chelsea.
Liverpool have fallen six points behind Chelsea after topping the table last month and Klopp says Antonio Conte’s side are setting a pace that is hard to live with.
He said: “It’s difficult to stay in the race with Chelsea when they won everything and we didn’t.
“I don’t think about it. When we were first or second, I wasn’t thinking about it.
“The season is very long, and as everybody knows the most intense time is coming now.
“Chelsea could play with nearly the same team until now. Arsenal nearly the same. Manchester United have had a few problems. Tottenham lost Harry Kane for while. That’s how it is.
“We are a really skilled team, you saw that again today. Our expectation is that we are in the top region of the table and that’s where we want to be in the decisive part of the season and then we can talk about what’s possible.
“At this moment, six points behind is not what we wish, but we cannot change it.”
Liverpool are third and Klopp says several teams would love to swap places with them.
“It’s all good apart from the result in the last two games, but in both games for big parts of the games, we were the much better team,” said the German.
“The way to get to being a real top-flight team, there’s never an easy way. There will always be struggles.
“We are still in a very good way, but we are not first in the table, we’re not even second. We are third. Come on. A lot of teams should feel worse. Everything is good at the moment.”
For all Juergen Klopp’s repeated insistence that Liverpool’s defence is not a problem this season, the evidence suggests otherwise.
For the second Sunday running Liverpool failed to take three points from a Premier League game they should have won after dominating possession and taking the lead.
Although their combustion was not quite as spectacular as at Bournemouth last week, when they lost 4-3 after leading 2-0 and 3-1, the two goals they conceded in the first half at home to West Ham United on Sunday leaves Klopp with serious decisions to make ahead of the January transfer window.
Goalkeeper Loris Karius’ mediocre display at Bournemouth cannot now be dismissed as a one-off.