Liverpool title "dream" over but top 4 finish WOULD be success Jurgen Klopp tells critics before Tottenham "six-pointer"
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Jurgen Klopp claims a top four finish this season would be a success.
Even before his countryman Didi Hamann became the latest Anfield old boy suggesting he needs a trophy to avoid the sack, the German was aware of the brutal demands a Liverpool boss faces.
Yet Klopp is also a pragmatist who knows that, despite their history, his club has no divine right to success any more... and is now placed firmly behind the bigger-spending aristocrats of Manchester's United and City, Chelsea and Arsenal in the pecking order of English football.
That is why he talks of winning the title being the dream he starts with every season, when finishing ahead of at least two clubs who spend more than Liverpool on wages is a more realistic marker of success in football’s nuclear arms race.
(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty)
A home win over rivals Tottenham on Sunday, in a game he cheerfully admits is a “six-pointer” would take them a step closer to that goal this season, and he said: “Top four, for sure, is a success.
“When you start a season, you can dream of something and you have to make a realistic target as well. I think being champion is probably the dream — not only at Liverpool, but especially at Liverpool.
“Because of the season City is playing, that is quite difficult. Then I would prefer to be second if you cannot be first. But if you are second, third or fourth at the end of the season, when you look back all three positions are good — and similarly difficult to reach.
(Image: PA)
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“Arsenal are not out of it. Tottenham is behind all of us at the moment, but only a couple of points. So it is tough to be top four.”
That will hardly play well with certain impatient sections of the Anfield crowd, nor old boys such as Hamann, Graeme Souness, John Toshack and Luis Garcia, who have all suggested recently that the manager desperately needs a trophy now he's into a third year in charge.
Yet for Klopp, it is a process.
Almost exactly a year ago, when his Reds faced - and outplayed – Spurs at Anfield, he spoke about their opponents being further ahead of Liverpool in their development.
Now the gap is closed, with only City currently out of reach.
But Klopp believes there is one important element in the Tottenham trajectory to turn his own title dream into a hard and fast reality – keeping your best players.
“That they can keep their squad together for so long is a big sign to be honest. Harry Kane is still there, even though the whole world is going nuts transfer wise.
“I think if someone has too much money or more than enough then it would make sense to ask, ‘Don’t you want to play for our team?’ He is obviously an outstanding top level since I was in England at least.
“Dele Alli is not the same season as last season but still the highest quality, Eriksen constantly 'Pfff!'... They are just a good side and they are still together.
“The whole world buys players from everywhere, but no one buys one player from Tottenham. Maybe they don’t want to go. You can imagine working together helps a lot. With these players and the age group, the players are closer to 20 than 30, that is a very very interesting project.”
Yet Liverpool are ahead of Spurs in the table, and can open an important gap with victory.
(Image: AFP/Getty)
For Klopp, that is not enough, even if it takes him past one more of his rivals:
“In the end I think to fulfil our dreams at some points we have to overtake all of them We have to be ready for achieving the biggest thing, I can only say with all the respect that Tottenham is a really interesting project.”
Klopp will restore £75m defender Virgil van Dijk to his starting line-up and Gino Wijnaldum could also return in midfield.