Title race is not over yet, believes Klopp

Liverpool are one step away from a return to Wembley in the League Cup and Klopp will send out a strong line-up at St Mary’s Wednesday as he looks to get his side back on track

LONDON, United Kingdom, Jan 31 – Liverpool boss Jurgen has refused to write off his team and says the Reds can revive their season should they beat Chelsea on Tuesday night.

The Anfield side are in a slump following three successive home defeats that saw them crash out of the EFL and FA Cups.

Another defeat at home to Antonio Conte’s side would leave them 13 points behind Chelsea, and all but end their title challenge. It would also equal their worst run of home form since 1923.

But Klopp is hoping to snap that streak to bring the gap back to just seven points on the back of Liverpool’s strong record against the top teams this season, where they have claimed 12 points from a possible 18 and are undefeated.

Sadio Mane is also available for selection after returning from the African Cup of Nations.

“If we are seven points behind Chelsea we will not say that now we go for them – they might win the rest of their games – but we need the points,” Klopp said. “We cannot waste time or points any more.”

“It’s not about us to say we can catch them. If somebody is seven ahead of us then somebody else is ahead of us – it will be five to Arsenal or whatever. But that gap would obviously make the league that little bit more exciting for a lot of people. We want to go for these three points and that’s enough to be motivated at the highest, highest level,” he added.

Klopp also insisted that any temporary setbacks would not deter him from his long-term plans for the team.

“Who thought we would change everything in a second in a season where Chelsea plays football like the stars from the sky, as we say in Germany?” he said.

“As long as we really believe in a long%u2011term project while winning anything we can get in the short term – that’s what matters. And nobody should doubt we want this. We don’t say: ‘FA Cup – give it away, it’s not important.’ It’s not like this.

“The main thing is to arrive into the position where we are the team. At the moment, we are one of a few, which is better than being none of them. So we can go for a really high position at the end of the league season.

“We were eighth last season. If we can’t be second, third or fourth this season people would say: ‘OK, but we were in the Champions League in 1994,’ and all this stuff. We have to concentrate on this positive mood, staying the race now, staying on track now, because there’s a lot to go for.”

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