Liverpool want to be champions but we don’t have that at the moment, admits Jurgen Klopp
Following a 1-0 loss to Brighton, Jurgen Klopp has confessed that while Liverpool do want to be champions, they aren’t in the title race based on their current form. The Reds have struggled to put their best foot forward over the last few months which has seen them slip behind the chasing pack.
While Liverpool started the league season well, excluding their loss to Aston Villa, the Reds’ have lost form over the last few months with their issues with injuries causing problems. It has seen Liverpool fall well behind the chasing pack over the last few weeks with the difference between Manchester City and them now increasing to seven points. That does cause a few problems for the Reds and it has seen many worried about them especially after the loss to Brighton.
The loss means that Jurgen Klopp’s side has only won two games out of their last eight matches, a run that includes three losses as well. That has played a part in their drop off and it has seen Klopp admit that the Reds are no longer title contenders based on current form. The German manager further added that the players know that the loss to Brighton “was not enough” and they need to improve their performances going forward.
“The gap to City ... I am manager of Liverpool and so I have to say we want to be champions, and of course we do, but you need games for it and we need performances for it and we don’t have that. We will fight for three points, it is not decided who will get the three points on Sunday, but we have to play better and we will try,” Klopp said, reported the Guardian.
“These gaps are not interesting at the moment. They are the result of the results we had already. What we can influence is the next game. Tonight it was not enough. We know that and we have to change that.”
The Seagulls somehow managed to walk away from Anfield with a sensational victory which means that it is now two games on the trot that Liverpool have lost at home. That comes after their incredible unbeaten run that stretched over three years but Klopp admitted that Graham Potter’s side deserved to win the game. He added that his side looked “mentally fatigued” for him and thus they weren’t “good enough to break” down Brighton.
“Brighton rightly won the game, deservedly won it. They were fresher than us, they did more good things than we did and we lost too many easy balls. The best way to defend Brighton is to keep the ball and then you have control. We didn’t create a lot, and for me the team looked mentally fatigued tonight.
“That leads to not the best play as well. It was a tough week travelling to London and back twice. We were not fresh enough which means we were not good enough to break the formation of Brighton and in the end they scored a goal and had other chances. They deserved to win,” he added.