Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp has praised the level of the Premier League this season, saying his side relishes the competition.
Liverpool entered 2024 as league leaders following Arsenal’s capitulation against Fulham on New Year’s Eve. In the last few days, three of the current top four teams in the league lost their games. They were all defeated by teams in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The teams in question – Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa – are still comfortable in their positions in the top five. However, the losses will worry them as it edges each of them closer to missing out on the new-look UEFA Champions League next season.
The Reds, meanwhile, have a date with Newcastle United on New Year’s Day which could shake their footing at the top of the standings. This situation is what the former Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05 manager admits he enjoys as the manager of Liverpool.
The competition, according to him, drives his team and they are always willing to have a go at every opponent for the sake of keeping it alive. The German tactician made this known in his pre-match press conference before Liverpool clashes with Newcastle on 1 January 2024.
“That’s the quality of the Premier League,” said Klopp. “It’s difficult to win games when you’re not at your best. And you can play your best and still draw or lose a game. It’s all pretty normal.
“OK once, City were 10 or 15 points ahead and now they’re not. But January, February and March they can go full throttle. But Aston Villa improved massively, Tottenham is back, Arsenal improved massively, we are kind of back, and City are City.
“It’s not to do with coaching any more. It’s just recovery and then meetings, that’s how it is. That’s why Aston Villa can beat City and Arsenal because they are just good. It was always the case that you can go to somewhere like Bournemouth and lose because they’re incredible as well.
“That’s the Premier League at its best and probably how it should look. I would obviously prefer a different situation, but that’s not possible, so we take it like this.”
Klopp will not be worried too much about the Liverpool clash, however, because Newcastle have historically not found Anfield to be a comfortable ground.
In Eddie Howe’s tenure as the Magpies’ manager, they have not been able to get a result against Liverpool. Newcastle’s last victory over Liverpool in all competitions came in 2015 meaning they are on a 14-game winless run against their New Year’s Day opponents. The fact that they have lost four of their last five Premier League matches this season before Liverpool also makes it a comfortable fixture for Klopp to navigate.
It remains to be seen what the New Year will bring for the Toons as they make the trip to Anfield. Klopp, meanwhile, is relishing the competition that Howe’s team is capable of providing.
