Jurgen Klopp launched a fierce defence of his Liverpool players despite their Premier League title bid collapse due to the disastrous Everton defeat.
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Liverpool succumbed to a 2-0 defeat to EvertonSlipped to third in the Premier League standingsKlopp not ready to blame his players for the sudden collapseWHAT HAPPENED?
The Reds' devastating loss to Everton, coupled with comfortable victories for Arsenal and Manchester City against Chelsea and Brighton, respectively, has resulted in Liverpool slipping to third place in the Premier League table. To reignite their title hopes, Liverpool now rely on both Arsenal and City dropping points in their remaining league fixtures.
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Despite the recent disappointments, Klopp is not ready to blame his players. The German instead is focused on finishing his tenure on a high by winning the remaining matches so that they remain in contention, at least mathematically, for the championship as long as possible.
WHAT KLOPP SAID
Speaking to reporters, Klopp said: "Did anyone expect us to become champions at the start of the season? No, but it developed in this direction. We go now to Aston Villa, they still have a few points less than us, so we need points still to be definitely [qualified for Champions League places], also Tottenham. Nobody here is happy at all.
"Just to explain how different it is. We cannot go back to the point where we say 'Yeah, well [qualifying for the Champions League] is good enough'. It is very good, but because we were so close, we are very, very disappointed at this moment in time. We cannot change that."
KLOPP NOT READY TO WAVE THE 'WHITE FLAG'
Although the German manager believes that the Premier League title race is now a two-horse affair between Arsenal and Manchester City, Klopp has warned his rivals that his players will give their all until the final matchday.
"I'm not in the mood to give up, to wave the white flag. We just have to look after ourselves and make sure we play better," he said. "Nobody gave up here, we just need to be realistic."
