‘It’s exciting’: Jurgen Klopp on the battle for a Champions League spot | OneFootball

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted that he is excited by the battle to secure Champions League football in the last three Premier League games of the season.

Klopp has said that he is not used to being a runaway leader at a club, like last season, and that is used to being part of the chasing pack. He adds that beating Manchester United 4-2 on Thursday night gave him a good feeling as it gave them a huge boost in their pursuit of a top-four finish.

Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, Klopp opened up on how he feels about chasing a Champions League spot in the final games. “Most of the time in my life I was in a chasing role. If I’m enjoying it, I don’t know. Sometimes yes, but I’m used to it. It didn’t happen a lot to me that the teams I coached were running away or whatever.

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“It’s a normal situation, it’s a good situation. Usually when I’m involved seasons go to the wire, so I can’t remember a lot of seasons where we didn’t play for anything in the last few games.

“It’s again like this. All good. It’s exciting and last night was very much needed but gave us a good feeling as well. But it’s now tough. After that long season, playing Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday, Sunday is a tough one, but let’s give it a try.”

ANFIELD WATCH VERDICT

Liverpool are in a great position where they know that it is all in their hands. Klopp and his men do not need to rely on any other sides to drop points in order for them to secure a top-four place. The Reds simply, if you can say that, need to win their last three Premier League games and they will be in next season’s Champions League. They face West Brom, Burnley and Crystal Palace, with the relegation battle having already been decided at the bottom end of the table.

Of course, if Liverpool slip up in any of those three matches then they may need Leicester or Chelsea to stutter in their other games – after they play each other – in order for Klopp’s side to sneak into the top four. Either way, it is going to be an exciting and intriguing battle, even if it is not the title challenge Liverpool fans may have expected at the start of the campaign.

Given the injuries Liverpool have faced this year, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip and Jordan Henderson currently out, finishing in the top four could be a sweet end to the season. Gomez and van Dijk were Liverpool’s first-choice centre-back pairing last term, showing that Klopp has been without his strongest XI for the majority of the campaign.