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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Manchester City and Pep Guardiola will have a point to prove when the two teams meet at the Etihad on Thursday, live on Sky Sports.
Klopp’s side claimed the Premier League title last Thursday with seven games still remaining in the season after defending champions City lost at Chelsea.
The Reds could break a number of Premier League records between now and the end of the season, including the highest ever points total of 100 – set by City in the 2017-18 campaign.
When asked if Guardiola’s side will be out to make a point at the Etihad, Klopp said “Yes, I probably would if it was the other way round! I think we had a similar situation a year or two ago when we beat City 4-3 and they were unbeaten until then. I don’t think I mentioned for one second that we could have been first but we wanted to win that desperately, just to make sure even when they were 20 something points ahead we can still give them a proper game. I don’t need a proper game to know that City can do that. I know that before but it will be difficult for both teams. It is a good game.”
Despite Liverpool and City’s recent domination of the Premier League, Klopp is adamant the two sides will face a greater challenge from Manchester United and Chelsea next season.
United have shown impressive form since the season restarted, with January signing Bruno Fernandes, and Paul Pogba forming an impressive midfield partnership. Chelsea have sealed the signings of winger Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and forward Timo Werner from RB Leipzig, with the duo set to add major quality to Frank Lampard’s squad next season.
Klopp insisted that Thursday’s result would not matter as a marker for next season as both clubs will be facing challenges from elsewhere.
“Whatever people say, it will not be important for next season because for sure we both have to be ready,” Klopp said.
“We see United coming up. People thought they had no chance but we see with one or two players how good they are and how good they can be, and for sure they will not be worse next season, and now there is Chelsea as well.
“It will not be about City and us. For the last two years pretty much the top of the table was City and us, and City for four or five years before that.”
Klopp is only the third Liverpool manager after Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan to win both the European Cup and league title at Anfield – a feat not achieved by club legends Bill Shankly and Kenny Dalglish.
“I’m rather surprised to be honest,” admitted Klopp. “The reasons why Kenny [didn’t win] I know, but with Bill I don’t know exactly why he couldn’t win it.
“But it is not important. I would never compare myself with them. Nobody should do that actually. It was different times, building a club and carrying a club.
“It is a big achievement, I know that. I know how we did it, pretty much because of all of the hard work people put in here at Melwood and the passion that people showed for this club.
“It’s never easy, it was not easy this time but it makes it much more valuable, worthy and emotional.”
Jordan Henderson has joined Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson and Graeme Souness as the only men to have won both major honours as Liverpool captain and Klopp is delighted the midfielder is finally receiving recognition after a difficult start to his career at Anfield.
“I couldn’t be more happy for him to be honest,” said Klopp.
“If we speak about people carrying expectation around with them, Hendo could and should probably write a book about it and how it deals with that because it was massive when I came in here.
“I felt it pretty early, that it is really difficult to do his job. How people saw him as a player… thank God we all knew what kind of player he really is and together we could make that obvious. Now he is probably in the best place ever, in a good shape of course. Not only at the moment but this is of course the big one. I can’t wait for him to be sitting in a TV studio two or three years after his career has finished, talking about Trent Alexander-Arnold and the other guys and telling them what is right and wrong! That will be good fun for sure.”