Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool must continue to improve in order to “stay in the race”.
Celebrating a year as manager during this international break, Klopp says it has felt like a short year and has never thought about the speed of the Reds’ progress under him.
Liverpool won all five games between the last two international breaks and host Man United at Anfield on Monday, in the first night match to be played since the stadium’s expansion this summer.
A win for the home side would put them six points ahead of Jose Mourinho’s side after eight games and provide further testament to Liverpool’s new big game mentality under Klopp.
“Even when you are good, you need to get better because the teams around you all get better too,” said Klopp this week. “To stay in the race, development is everything.”
“From my side, it feels like a short year! Hopefully I will have many more years here.
“I’ve never thought about the speed or the tempo of our progress. I only knew that we had to get better – that’s how life is.”
Of course, it hasn’t all been plain sailing in Klopp’s opening year, and the manager knows that the hard work continues.
“There have been a few ups and a few downs, but always with a really optimistic view about the future,” he said. “I think that’s what we still have.
“It’s a job we have to do. We all enjoy working together and it’s much better when you enjoy it.”
After United, Liverpool’s next five league games are against West Brom (h), Crystal Palace (a), Watford (h), Southampton (a) and Sunderland (h).
A win on Monday night would set them up nicely going into December.
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