LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has not given up on beating Manchester City to the Premier League title.
The Reds are three points behind the leaders with both teams having three games left in the league.
Liverpool travel to Aston Villa tonight needing a win over a side handled by former Reds captain Steven Gerrard, and Klopp is confident his team will get the result they need.
“It is clear that it is not over, whatever happened, because we both have three games to play,” the German said as he previewed the match.
“And my concern is actually: how can we win our games? We have absolutely no hand in how City will play their games. But before they are played I think we should not add on points; we don’t do that and I’m pretty sure City are not doing that.
“Until it’s not reachable anymore, why should we stop believing? That’s what we do.”
Gerrard has had a decent first season as Aston Villa manager and there has been talk of him taking over from Klopp at Anfield in the future.
Klopp believes it could happen.
“I have no idea. But my ‘possible’ successor, yes, of course it’s possible that Stevie will be manager here one day,” he noted.
“I have no idea, that’s not my decision to make. It is about other parties and Stevie as well. But, yes, I think it’s possible, that’s it.”
Liverpool dropped off slightly in the title race on Saturday when they could only draw 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. But Klopp is seeing the dropped points from another perspective.
He explained: “It’s very easy to describe our situation. There are obviously different perspectives. You can take it exactly like it was and say we drew, they won, makes it three points [behind City] and the goal difference changed obviously as well.
“Or, you can see it like this, we were six points behind and they lost and we won – and the rest is exactly the same. And we would be flying, we couldn’t wait until we could play Aston Villa and try to bring the next three. As human beings, it’s really cool, we can decide by ourselves how we see it.
“There are some facts but we are allowed to ignore them and then I try to help the boys see it like me and invite everybody else as well. Let’s just assume we won the last game and they lost and now we go to Aston Villa. That doesn’t make the Aston Villa game a little bit easier, not at all, it just gives you a nicer perspective and that’s what I think is important as well.”
With a win at Villa Park tonight, Liverpool will draw level on points with City, who are away to Wolverhampton Wanderers tomorrow.
