Liverpool vs Man City: Jurgen Klopp on why crunch Premier League clash is ‘want to win’ not ‘must not lose’

Klopp hasn’t beaten Guardiola in the last three competitive meetings between the two

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants his team to improve (Getty)

Jurgen Klopp is refusing to look at the upcoming clash against Manchester City in anything other than his usual manner.

Liverpool sit six points clear in the Premier League heading into the weekend, leading to some suggestions that the Reds will be primarily occupied with stopping Man City closing the gap.

In a wide-ranging interview with Sky Sports, however, Klopp said that rather than a must-not-lose game, it’s simply a “want-to-win” fixture.

Acknowledging that last season’s title race was decided by small margins, the German manager reaffirmed that the Reds would be looking to maximise their chances of victory – but that a busy period ahead provides plenty more chances for points, for both teams.

“We are at matchday 12 so obviously there are some games to come,” he said.

“We know about the City situation last year where we only lost one game and that was decisive in the end.

“That’s maybe how people see it, but you have to play all the games. If we win the game this weekend and don’t win any game after that, there’s no real value there. There is so much to come and the most intense period of the year in November, December and January is still coming so we have to be ready for all these games.

“At the moment we are focused on preparing for this game, but we don’t think too much about what influence it might have on the rest of the season.”

Klopp says that Liverpool’s emergence as a genuine title competitor is a factor which has seen Pep Guardiola’s side record enormous points tallies of their own.

Klopp and Guardiola have gone head-to-head in Germany and England (AFP via Getty Images)

“This season is different to last season, and we don’t know how it will go. We pushed each other on a really high level [last year].

“City played the season before without proper pressure from behind [in] the 100-point season and I could not have more respect for them that they had 98 points the year after – but for sure we were a reason for that as we pushed them really hard.”

Klopp, who dismissed any potential rift or need for a war of words between Guardiola and himself, explained why this fixture would simply be another that his team wanted to win, regardless of the context of the league.

“Maybe there are people who are smarter than I am and see it like this, but I don’t. For me, it’s 100 per cent a ‘want to win game’ – with all I have. I’ve never understood ‘must-win’ games because that doesn’t change the chances.

“For us, as a team to prepare a game like this, you have to do the right thing again and again: knowing everything in the game, being brave, playing football, defending for your lives.

Liverpool’s Gini Wijnaldum and Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne (AFP via Getty Images)

“All the stuff around the game doesn’t really affect us. We want to win, and we’ll try everything to make that happen – which is difficult enough. The season will not stop after this, but it’s a big one, we know that.

“The whole world will be watching it, I would 100 per cent. Everyone I know will. I’m really looking forward to it, but the discussions around, I’m not part of.

“We play at home, and last season we played a game at theirs where we lost by 11 millimetres otherwise the ball was in [when John Stones cleared off the line] and it was another draw.

“I think that would have been deserved, so there are tight games and that’s how it is when high-quality teams face each other, so I expect another tight game.”

Man City goalkeeper Ederson left the pitch injured against Atalanta in Europe on Wednesday night, but Klopp expects him to feature at the weekend regardless as both teams go full strength.

“If he did not play, it would change because Ederson is an important part of their game, 100 per cent. Claudio Bravo can do similar things, but I expect Ederson to play 100 per cent. He’s an ever-present player. He had last year a similar thing, a couple of days later he was back on the pitch.”