LONDON (AFP) - Jurgen Klopp says his Liverpool players are "ambitious like hell" to win the Premier League, backing them to bounce back from their thumping at Barcelona and keep the title race alive against Newcastle.
Liverpool travel to face the St James' Park side managed by former Reds boss Rafael Benitez a point behind Premier League leaders Manchester City with two matches to go.
Victory on Saturday would see Liverpool go back to the top of the table and ramp up the pressure on City ahead of the reigning champions' home match against Leicester on Monday.
The German manager told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Friday (May 3) he was expecting a tough game against Newcastle, who are safe from relegation.
But he said his players had proved their ability to perform under pressure all season, amassing 91 points so far with just a single defeat in the Premier League.
"The boys are completely on fire," he said.
"When you are in the race and you see you can win it, you don't get tired, that's how it is.
"We are ambitious like hell. We want to (win) but we still know it's not 100 per cent in our hands but the only thing we can do is to beat Newcastle and that is unbelievably difficult."
Â
Klopp reiterated that a mature away performance in the Champions League was not reflected in the 3-0 scoreline at Camp Nou.
And he insisted that his players were in a positive mood and had the mental strength to recover as they look to win Liverpool's first English title of the Premier League since 1990.
"It's no problem, of course we have to prove it again tomorrow, but we didn't have to pick up players in Barcelona and give them a hug," he said.
"It doesn't happen too often, honestly, that I lose 3-0 and have much more positive thoughts about the game than negative, but it was in this game.
"When we flew home it was all OK, the boys were already (focused) on the Newcastle game 100 percent," the German boss added.
"The boys have had 20 hours to recover, now we will have one session and try to prepare them for Newcastle, which is important because it will be a different game obviously, but it's not new for us."
Klopp revealed however that Naby Keita would miss the rest of the season with an adductor injury that is set to sideline the Guinea international midfielder for around eight weeks, putting his participation in the Africa Cup of Nations in jeopardy.
Keita limped off midway through the first half in Barcelona.
"Bad news, he has a high-grade adductor injury," said Klopp.
"The tendon is ruptured, which keeps him out for at least two months.
"Bad news for us obviously, but bad news for Guinea as well because the Africa Cup of Nations is coming up."
For Albirex Niigata S and Shuhei Hoshino, the magical number this week is 15. Find out who made FOX Sports Asia's Singapore Premier League (SPL) Team of the Week 14.
Soccer Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - May 4, 2019 Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko shakes hands with manager Mauricio Pochettino
Soccer: Pochettino defiant as poor Tottenham form continues
rajanayachronicles.com/?p=121777
Soccer: Pochettino defiant as poor Tottenham form continues Share Tweet (Reuters) - Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino remained defiant despite his side preparing for their Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax Amsterdam in disjointed fashion as they had two men sent off in a 1-0 defeat by Bournemouth.
Watford squeeze past QPR into FA Cup last eight | Reuters.com
Liverpool crushed Arsenal 5-1 to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League on Saturday but manager Juergen Klopp still would not get involved in any talk of winning the title.
Liverpool`s Klopp Avoids Title Talk despite Arsenal Rout
Football: Despite squad overhaul, Albirex Niigata's target for new season is still to 'win all the titles'
Albirex Niigata S TV Schedules, Fixtures, Results, News
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is paying no attention to what Premier League title-rivals Manchester City are doing as his side hit back in the ding-dong battle at the top of the table.A 3-1 win
Jurgen Klopp Hails 'Best Game of the Season' as Liverpool
SINGAPORE - Former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general secretary Winston Lee has been appointed by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) as its new General Secretary.. Read more at
Football: Ex-FAS general secretary Winston Lee appointed as
sportsloveme.com/soccer/football-ex-fas-general-secretary-winston-lee-appointed-as-new-gen-sec-of-asean-football-federation/
SINGAPORE - Former Football Association of Singapore (FAS) general secretary Winston Lee has been appointed by the Asean Football Federation (AFF) as its new General Secretary. It is understood that the 53-year-old's contract is for an initial two years.
Football: Ex-FAS general secretary Winston Lee appointed as
Football: Yoshida-san, restore the Lions' semangat, boleh
BERLIN (Reuters) - German champions Bayern Munich have not yet made an offer for Manchester City winger Leroy Sane despite their long-standing desire to sign him, club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
Why Bayern Munich have not yet bid for Man City winger Leroy Sane
Many people think that heel spurs cause heel pain—but that's not always the case. According to the Cleveland Clinic, one out of 10 people have heel spurs, but only one out of 20 people with a heel spur experiences heel pain. Others may experience symptoms that include tenderness, a dull ache, or sharp pain when standing.
Pochettino: Spurs need to believe - The Irish News
Man City appeal possible Champions League ban. AFP. European football's governing body in March after claims City had hidden revenue from overvalued commercial deals in order to meet the UEFA
Man City launch appeal against Uefa FFP probe and potential
Oh how much easier, simpler, sleepier, to trust in gods and in strongmen! It's worth noticing that the concept of unity as triumphant while affirming liberty and diversity is the concept under attack today. E pluribus unum means, actually, in ourselves and each other we trust. That, it turns out, may be the greatest challenge of all.
12 Powerful Ways to Trust Yourself — Purpose Fairy
Liverpool struck late through Divock Origi to move back top of the Premier League with a thrilling 3-2 win at Newcastle on Saturday and keep their hopes of a first title for 29 years alive but suffered a major scare after injury to Mohamed Salah.
Liverpool beat Newcastle with late Origi winner to top
Lacazette double helps Arsenal beat Valencia 3-1 | Free
0 comments:
Post a Comment