Manchester United’s Jose Mourinho insists it is funny to see Jurgen Klopp’s stance on spending change from before the 2017/18 season.
Jurgen Klopp was impressed with Manchester City’s young side after Liverpool beat them 2-1 but is remaining tight lipped on whether his side can win the league.
Jurgen Klopp has told ESPN FC that Liverpool will accept “any trophy” next season as he attempts to end the club’s silverware drought.
Liverpool, five-time European champions and 18-time English title winners, have won just one trophy — the 2012 League Cup — since Rafael Benitez guided the club to the FA Cup in 2006.
During this decade, Liverpool have finished as runners-up in every major competition, including last season’s Champions League final defeat against Real Madrid in Kiev.
But having broken the world record this year to make Virgil van Dijk the most expensive-ever defender (£75 million) and also setting a new high for a goalkeeper with the £66.9m signing of Alisson, the pressure is on Klopp to deliver major honours to Anfield.
Speaking in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho claimed that the time has come for people to expect more from Liverpool, and Klopp said he and his players will take every competition seriously this season.
“It was always like this before the season,” Klopp told ESPN FC. “It’s always like this — 100 percent.
“Any trophy is good. Whatever you can get after a final, take it. After the season, take it. That’s 100 percent like this.”
Despite the huge investment in Liverpool’s playing squad under Klopp — Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri have also arrived this summer — the Anfield manager claims that there is no extra pressure or expectancy to deliver this year.
“I don’t think it’s a big difference,” he said. “Only that now people maybe from [last season], they believe a little bit more, but it doesn’t change the situation.
“Yes our job is to improve the team every year, to improve the football every year and if you do that then the chances become bigger.
“But the thing is that the other teams don’t sleep, so Man City are still a fantastic team and United will have again a fantastic team… Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham.
“Tottenham pretty much complete together, Arsenal, they lost [Jack] Wilshere, that’s it, and otherwise they only brought players in, so strong side obviously.
“Everton is for big things, Wolverhampton can be a surprise. It’s a difficult league, so we don’t have to dream too much and we don’t.
“The circumstances are good and we have a good team and the people are happy about the team and the players we brought in obviously have quality as well. That’s all good, but that alone is nothing.
“We have to make… we have to use the potential and make quality of it. That’s how it is and that works in different ways.
“But nothing is decided now. Everything is possible and so let’s try and go for everything.”
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