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Klopp refuses to let Liverpool questions become a distraction as he keeps focus on the future
The Reds boss concedes that his side need to raise their game, but he is eager to avoid using past successes as a benchmark for the present
Jurgen Klopp will not allow the questions being asked of Liverpool’s form to become a distraction, with the Premier League title-winning coach keeping his focus on the present and future.
The Reds headed into 2020-21 knowing it would be difficult to maintain the lofty standards they have set over recent years. Injury struggles have done little to aid their cause, with key men such as Virgil van Dijk, Alisson, Jordan Henderson, Diogo Jota and James Milner having spells on the treatment table.
Klopp’s men have gone four league games without a win, dropping them to fourth in the table, but he is determined to face every challenge head on.
“We have to earn the right to win through our commitment. This is what we are all about and I look forward to seeing my boys embrace this challenge,” Klopp told the club’s official matchday programme heading into their home clash with Burnley on Thursday.
“We come into the game with some focus on our recent form and I am fine with this. It is absolutely OK for those questions to be asked. When you are blessed to work at this club you know each and every performance brings close scrutiny. This level of interest in us is a privilege and it’s a pressure we should embrace.
“For us, even though we are aware of the questions around us, we must not be distracted by them. Our focus must be on the solution. We are our own solution. In this moment, it’s my job specifically to make sure we find a way.
“I have faced legitimate questions since the Christmas period which were often framed about ‘getting back to what we were previously’. I maybe have used this phrase myself – I wouldn’t be sure without checking.
“Really that isn’t the solution. The mindset for us should always be about looking ahead and not backwards. Simply reverting to what has gone before, no matter how good it was, won’t be enough in a league as competitive as this one.
“We have some basic principles in how we approach our work and we must adhere to those. They include being brave, showing humility by aiming to work harder than your opponent, bringing the intensity in each moment and sacrificing for the team. These – plus other – guiding practices, are still very much embedded into our environment.
“This team finds a way. It has done consistently for us in recent seasons and it will do now and again in the future. We are in a tough moment – no-one hides from this – but we view it as an opportunity. Another challenge to be met.”
