Jurgen Klopp believes his side need to be ready to fight in each game as they did against Swansea City on Saturday.
After thrashing Hull City, Liverpool went into their clash at the Liberty Stadium as the firm favourites. The bookies’ odds, which had the Reds 9/2 to score in the first ten minutes, were left in ruins when Swansea City scored in the eighth minute and held their lead until halftime.
While Liverpool turned the game around in the second half and eventually won the game 2-1, it was a break from the fluid attacking displays that had been put on show for over a month. Klopp’s side fought hard to win the game and deservedly took the three points with them to England.
Liverpool is fourth in the league, just behind Arsenal on goal difference, and Klopp believes that, as a top side, the Merseyside club need to be prepared to fight off teams every week if there is to be any chance of success this season.
“It was such a positive week: Interview here, interview there, ‘the manager is brilliant’, ‘everyone is enjoying themselves’,” Klopp said.
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“And then at the end of the week, Swansea is waiting with the knife between the teeth, and you have to go and perform again!
“That’s what I mean. We have to get used to it. To be a successful team you need to be a challenger in each game, challenging for three points in every game.
“I’m happy with the performance from the [fans], it was great! We didn’t make it too easy for them, but you saw that they took each good moment from us to help us back in the game. That was nice.”
Klopp is a brilliant manager. You could argue that complacency is what thwarted Liverpool in the fateful 2013/14 season. Points dropped against sides like Newcastle and Crystal Palace is what cost us the title. With Klopp aware that he needs to remind his players of the challenge that his team will come up against in every game of the season, this season could offer a real chance at the league title.