Klopp: "It would be crazy to think the title race is over"
Liverpool's manager is taking nothing for granted in the Premier League title race as the Reds go into the New Year with a 13-point lead at the top of the table.
Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp insists that his team will not be celebrating the Premier League title while the title race is still on. The Reds go into the New Year with a huge 13-point lead over their nearest rivals after beating Wolves 1-0 at Anfield on Sunday. For Liverpool, it was their 17th successive Premier League home win and extended their unbeaten domestic run on Merseyside to 50 matches thanks to Sadio Mané's first half goal.
More battles lie ahead, says Klopp
As the Reds close in on a first league crown since 1990, Klopp told reporters his players and supporters are not getting carried away as the competition reaches the halfway stage. "Everyone has been asking me, 'How was your 2019?' 2019 was brilliant but it's not important because we count seasons, not years and the 2019/20 season is not over - we are halfway there and we still have 19 games to play. That's a lot. The fight for European places will begin later - how cares about points in December? We know that a lot of the 19 games left will be similar to tonight's - a real batte. I think our fans are exactly like the team is," said Klopp, whose Liverpool have won 18 and drawn one of their 19 league fixtures and still have a game in hand. "They are not interested in the moment. They don't want to celebrate now. They take it like it is. They dig in a game, like today, today I liked it a lot" .
No nerves at Anfield
"All the fans were really in the game," he continued. "This was a game where the crowd can be nervous, they weren't, so that's good. We are a unit so we fight until somebody says 'it's enough' and 'you have enough points' or not. We will see. But it's not about belief. If we were not confident it would be really crazy but it's not about knowing, or wanting to know, that it's already done. Imagine, really, if you asked me and I sat here and said 'yeah, actually, I think it's done'. But we still play of course but I think it's done. That would be really crazy. But, since five, six or seven weeks ago we are still asking that question constantly. And I, as a normal human being, have the same answer. Because it's not done. So discuss it if you want, ask me if you want, but don't expect a different answer."