“I’m sure Pep would agree…” – Jurgen Klopp claims Liverpool ‘would not be 16 points away’ from Man City in a ‘normal season’

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has spoken about his squad’s lacklustre title defence, claiming that the gap between the Merseyside club and Manchester City would not be as great in a ‘normal season’.

With his Liverpool side sitting 16 points behind league leaders Manchester City, Klopp has stated his belief that the gap would not be as large had this season not been so chaotic due to rampant injuries and problems surrounding the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Speaking ahead of the Merseyside derby this weekend, Jurgen Klopp had this to say when assessing the season so far:

“We all agree, and I’m sure Pep would, in a normal season for both teams we would not be 16 points away. But we are. That’s how it is. We accept. This season it isn’t our concern how close we get to Manchester City. It’s how far we go up the Premier League table”, he said.

He continued, “We don’t have to think about that [toppling Manchester City] now – we don’t play them any more this year. Maybe in the UEFA Champions League. It was never the case where we thought how can we overtake Manchester City, or become the finest team in English football again.”

With fourteen games remaining in the Premier League season, Klopp’s Reds sit two points outside of a top four spot. Should they not close that gap and fail qualify for the UEFA Champions League, they would become the first team since Chelsea in 2018 to fail to finish inside the top four in the season after winning the Premier League title. 

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