The Reds boss says that now is not the time to appreciate all the club has accomplished over the past year or so
Jurgen Klopp says that he has not taken any time to reflect on Liverpool‘s recent success as he insists there will be no party until the job is done.
Liverpool currently sit 16 points clear atop the Premier League following Thursday’s win over Wolves, and the Reds have a game in hand on fellow title hopefuls Manchester City and Leicester.
A Premier League title is now within grasp for the Reds, who fell just short in the race with eventual champions Man City last season.
Liverpool did, however, go on to win the Champions League, and that momentum has carried over into a near-perfect start to the Premier League season.
But Klopp says he is not thinking about anything the club has achieved so far, but instead focusing on pushing even closer towards that league title.
“I don’t think about it but I think if I look back it makes sense after the last game, whichever that game will be as we are still in two cup competitions,” he told reporters. “In the cups we are where we are ahead of the next round: Shrewsbury and Atletico Madrid are our next opponents.
“It is really about doing what you have to do until it is over. There is no 10 per cent party in my mind, no 15%, no 8%, there is just no party.
“After the game yesterday we had these little meetings where I tell the boys what I think. To be honest I had to remind myself to say ‘Congratulations, the result was outstanding’.
“We have no time to make assessments, we analyse our next opponent and then we go in. It is not that we forget what we have to do better.
“We are all happy with each other, obviously: in a good place that is clear – many other teams are the same – and we were in a good place last year and the year before when we didn’t win anything because we just like working together, working together on improvement and there is still a lot to improve.
“That is our life. Anyone in the past who looked like they would win something and then stopped never got rewarded in history. After our career, we want to look back and then mix it up, what we won and when we won it. That was maybe a joke at the time but it is kind of the idea we have together.”
Before returning to their Premier League pursuit, the Reds face an FA Cup match against Shrewsbury Town on Sunday.
Many would see the match as an opportunity for Klopp to rest some key players and refresh ahead of a midweek match against West Ham, but the manager sees the game as a test in its own way.
“Depends on what you ask for in terms of testing,” he said. “Of course it is tough, that’s the really good thing of a cup competition. Shrewsbury qualified in a difficult game, having to play twice, and have been looking forward to this game since they qualified and they knew before that we would be the opponent.
“The lower league team playing at their home ground is an advantage. Hopefully, the pitch will be OK – I have no idea so far about any circumstances. That is proper cup and I like that.
“Is it a test? Yes, maybe, but it is not like I test the players, it is a test in general as you play against a team who fights the fight of their life and we have to show how important the next round is to us.”
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