Liverpool have secured their place back in the Champions League for next season, but Jurgen Klopp senses he’s one of few currently seeing it as an achievement.
While the German may not be leading the squad on their return to Europe’s premier competition, that the club have secured their place was met with a big smile by Klopp.
With Tottenham falling to defeat at Chelsea on Thursday, Liverpool cannot finish lower than fourth this season – positive news, but well below expectations after initially being on course for the title.
Perception is everything and Klopp knows just that, but he did not let that take the shine off an achievement he has earmarked each and every season.
On qualifying for the Champions League, Klopp said: “I take that [the congratulations], I felt exactly the same [on Thursday night]. I was really happy.
“It is an achievement. Does it feel to everybody like that? Maybe not, [but] to me it does.
“That’s how the perspective can change during the season because for a while we obviously looked like we can go all the way.
“Or at least stay in the race for longer, which was definitely possible [but] for different reasons that didn’t work out.
“I’m not sure now, probably third place in the league behind two teams who do really well, and they go all the way. That’s how it looks right now.
“I know mathematically there’s still a chance [of winning the title], or if you expect me to say it’s not over yet; it is not over yet, I know that, but it looks like [it].”
With three games remaining and the title all but out of reach, Klopp is hoping his team can rediscover some of their best form with the pressure now off their shoulders.
“The pressure is off now,” Klopp explained. “That’s done. It would be really cool if we could play really, really good football again. That would be absolutely nice because, obviously, we were very tense in the last few weeks.
“We had a super-intensive period as well; Thursday, Sunday, Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday – [it] didn’t work out for us now too well after a long, long season.
“But, how I said, going back to the start of the season nobody knew, and everybody knew how important it would be to qualify for the Champions League again.
“It’s what we did and it’s super important for the future of the club, and I’m really happy about that.”
Fan Comments