Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he had feared his team might not win their first Premier League title in 30 years when voices were aired to ‘null and void’ the ongoing season during the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Honestly, yes. When we went to lockdown I didn’t think about us being close for a second as it was not important at the moment,” he added,” Klopp was quoted as saying on Indian Express.
“I became worried in the moment that people began speaking about ‘null and void’ and I felt it physically, that would’ve been really, really hard,” he added.
Some teams in the Premier Legaue, especially the ones in the lower half of the table and mainly West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady had suggested that the season should be scrapped without deciding any winner and relegating any team.
However, England’s top-flight football competition was able to return on Wednesday with Sheffield United taking on Aston Villa and Manchester City hosting Arsenal.
“There were moments (I was worried) but when that was off the table I felt quite relieved. Now we are here. If we would have done points-per-game we would have been champions but now we are not and have to play for it, which is how it should be in sports.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool will be aiming to restart their season on a positive step and take the remaining few steps to the Premier League as soon as possible when they face their Merseyside neighbour Everton on Sunday.
“We are ready to go, but we have to be ready to face problems because there will be problems. It is like it always was, it’s not new. In a football game, you have a plan for it and in the game, you have to force it through, or you have to adapt to another one or whatever. It will be exciting,” the club’s official website had quoted Klopp as saying.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager urged his players to be “100 per cent disciplined” to face the challenges that Everton will throw at them. He also warned The Reds players to be aware of the style of play that Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti executes on the field.
“Look, when you analyse Everton now you have to look as well to Napoli or any other team because Carlo Ancelotti has a specific way he wants his team to play and he is long enough there now to push that through. So, it will be a football-playing side, they will play as much football as we let them.
“We have to find challenges, win challenges, use gaps, find gaps and all that stuff. We have to play through, we have to be 100 per cent disciplined, we have to be full of joy, we have to stay greedy before the game, in the game [and] after the game. That’s all what we need,” Klopp explained.