Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool’s season has been “very, very successful”, even if they finish an incredible campaign without a trophy.
The Premier League title race will go down to the final day of the season, although Manchester City will enter Sunday with a one-point lead if they beat Leicester City in their penultimate match.
Klopp’s men have already reached 94 points but it may not be enough for a first league title since 1990, while their chances of reaching the Champions League final are slim after a 3-0 loss to Barcelona in their semi-final first leg.
But the German said it was clear his side’s season had been a success, even if it does finish without silverware.
“A lot of supporters from other clubs will be happy if we fail. They’re still behind us [in the table], apart from Man City. It’s all okay, really,” Klopp told UK newspapers.
“At the very beginning when I came to Liverpool, I realised this club has to do it the hard way, so we’ll do it the hard way. That’s how it is, because luck is not constantly with us.
“It’s not like, ‘wow, again!’ We have to really work for it and the boys are ready and the whole club is ready for that. I was not sure against Newcastle if we could do it, but we did it. I’m absolutely proud.
“Whatever happens, it will be a very, very successful season and I’m pretty sure that all our supporters can see it like this.”
Liverpool returned to the Premier League summit thanks to a thrilling 3-2 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
They will host Wolves on the final day of the campaign, while Manchester City make the trip to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Klopp said his team – who also host Barcelona on Tuesday – were ready to be judged at week’s end.
“Before you start the season, the problem is already clear. You want to be champions, and the day when you realise you can’t be champions, you’re disappointed,” he said.
“For some teams, that’s the first day. For some teams, that’s the last matchday. That doesn’t make a big difference. For us, it’s 100 per cent clear, we try everything we can. We cannot do more – that’s it. For us, the target is winning football games as often as possible, and the boys did much more than I thought possible.
“Let’s try to get 97 points and then we are ready for judgment.”
Source: Opera News