BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Sunday, December 5, 2021: Aston Villa's manager Steven Gerrard (R) speaks with Matty Cash after the FA Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Leicester City FC at Villa Park. Aston Villa won 2-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

‘A shame Stevie can’t play!’ – Klopp’s jovial take on Premier League’s title-deciding day

The narrative for the title-defining weekend is clear as Steven Gerrard takes his Aston Villa side to Man City, and for Jurgen Klopp, ‘it’s a shame Stevie’s not playing’.

It’s a sentiment that Liverpool fans will not find difficult to agree with!

It’s all come down to this weekend, the Reds have to beat Wolves on Sunday and need Villa to deny Man City victory if the Premier League title is to be hoisted aloft at Anfield.

It’s asking a favour from a favourite son and his new team, and while Gerrard’s phone may have received countless texts and calls, one will not come from the Liverpool manager.

But Klopp was in a good mood as he discussed the possibilities of the final day and has no doubts Aston Villa will be motivated to win, even if they don’t have Gerrard lining up on the pitch.

“I can understand these situations only by thinking of myself in that role. If I would play a game and help Dortmund or Mainz, it would be, for me, extra motivation,” Klopp said of Sunday’s situation.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 9, 2022: Aston Villa's manager Steven Gerrard during the FA Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC at Villa Park. Tottenham won 4-0. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“But I don’t play, and Stevie doesn’t play. That’s a shame. It’s much more of a shame that Stevie’s not playing than I’m not playing!

“Of course, we are all human beings that have these kinds of [feelings].

“Stevie will take it 100 percent serious, I’m sure, without me calling him or whatever,” Klopp said with a laugh.

“The rest of the club probably did it already, I didn’t.

“I think a really good example for how motivated football teams are to fulfil their own targets is last night’s game with Crystal Palace.

Crystal Palace, wow. It was such an important game, one of the most important games for Everton in their history and Crystal Palace shows up there and plays incredible football.

“In the end, they lost but the effort they put in, the effort they showed, the whole game from Palace was really good – they lost, but now congratulations to Everton for staying in the league.

“But that’s a good example of how football teams usually are, we play to win and Aston Villa plays to win.

“It’s a difficult place [the Etihad] to go. City is like this, if you go there and are not at 100 percent you get five or six [goals against], easily.

“And if you are fully there, then you have a chance to get a result – how it always is in football.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - Tuesday, May 10, 2022: Liverpool's Gerrard and Klopp during the FA Premier League match between Aston Villa FC and Liverpool FC at Villa Park. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“But this is the game I’m not concerned about, not thinking about at all. It’s a complete disrespect to Wolves, they will do exactly the same.

“They don’t come here and want to be part of our celebrations, they come here and want to win and get three points and we have to be ready for this game.”