Klopp Makes Jose Mourinho Dig Over League title

CHARLIE MALAM

Jurgen Klopp took a sly dig at Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho by insisting Liverpool will not take a dogmatic approach to competing for silverware this season.

The Reds reached the Champions League final in May but lost to Real Madrid – the third final that they have lost under the German manager. Yet their summer spending – £170million-plus on Fabinho, Naby Keita, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alisson Becker – has seen them mentioned as Premier League title contenders for the 2018-19 campaign.

Klopp has not publicly discussed Liverpool’s ambitions this term but when he was unveiled as manager in October 2015, declared himself “pretty confident” he would have a league title to his name if he was still in the job four years later. That’s with Liverpool having gone without a domestic crown since 1990 – several managers coming close but failing to restore them to the top of the English game.

The money they have spent this summer saw Mourinho ramp up the pressure on his rival, insisting that they should be expected to win trophies.

He said: “You have to demand and say the team with investments you are making last season, that you made in January, that you make now, that will probably be the record [amount] of the Premier League [teams] this season, a team that was a finalist in the Champions League, you have to say you are a big candidate and you have to win.”

But Klopp seemed to take a swipe back at Mourinho when assessing his side’s upcoming campaign, insisting it makes “no sense” unless his team enjoy playing football.

Mourinho was widely criticised last term for numerous dour United performances and a lack of attacking football in high-profile matches in spite of a heavy transfer spend in his two years at Old Trafford.

That has long been Mourinho’s way throughout his managerial career with it seen as a sacrifice worth making given the likelihood of silverware. But United finished 19 points off of rivals Manchester City in the title race last season.

And discussing what would be a successful season for Liverpool this term, Klopp vowed that his Liverpool team will remain committed to playing entertaining forward-thinking football as they chase the club’s first trophy since 2012.

He told reporters: “Improvement, development, using our football last season as a basis and make the next steps [would be a success].

“More consistency – we were not inconsistent, but we can be more consistent.

“I know that people want to hear that I tell you we can win this or that, but I have no clue if we will win something. But we will go for it with all we have.

“We don’t look for excuses and if people now say with this squad we have to [win something], that’s really not interesting.

“Man City played the football of tonight and then on Monday I think 11 players come back. [The real] Man City are coming back then. They are outstandingly strong.

“United, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea and the other ones. It looks like Wolverhampton will be a proper threat and stuff like that.

“Beat them all in a specific moment, that’s the plan. If it happens, it’s good and if not then we have to work on the next game.

“The mood in the club at the moment is really good and we want to build on that, we want to come even closer.

“In a world where everything is separated, we want to come even closer together as a club and use that to make the next step and enjoy ourselves.

“The boys have to enjoy their football, we have to enjoy our football, otherwise it makes no sense.

“We cannot only go for a 1-0 here, 1-0 there – I know if you win silverware in the end then people are probably happy, but the whole year was still rubbish.”