Jurgen Klopp believes their games against Man City, Chelsea, and Arsenal will define their season. Following their 5-2 setback at Anfield, Liverpool needed a miracle to go to the quarter-finals, but Karim Benzema’s late strike sealed another deserved victory for the reigning champions. Liverpool’s only remaining goal this season is to finish in the top four of the Premier League in order to qualify for next year’s Champions League. With their 1-0 loss to Bournemouth on Saturday, Klopp’s side is six points behind fourth-placed Tottenham and will not play again until their Premier League encounter with Manchester City after the upcoming international break on April 1.
“If you want to win the competition, you have to be exceptional, which we weren’t tonight, so the outcome is fair. Then, of course, there’s the competition, and we want to be a part of it every year, which is a tremendous undertaking right now,” Jurgen Klopp said about their games against Man City and Chelsea. “As we return from the international break, we have a full football week ahead of us, with three games against City, Chelsea, and Arsenal, which will most likely define how we perform. Some will argue that we lost at Bournemouth, but this week is crucial. So we’ll have to hope the boys return healthy and in good shape, and we’ll give it a shot.”
Liverpool’s elimination from the Champions League guarantees a trophyless season, but Klopp maintains they will give it their all to finish as strongly as possible in the Premier League to achieve their aim. Klopp was gracious in defeat at the Bernabeu, conceding his team fell short of the “special” effort required to overcome a three-goal deficit and said Madrid deserved to go to the quarter-finals.
“Our aim is to get as much out of this season as we possibly can,” he added. “It’s been an odd season thus far, with a great performance against Manchester United, a very good football team, and a pretty awful performance against Bournemouth, another good football team, but we must not lose this game. This put us under even more pressure. Three points and I believe everyone would have felt it, if not scented it.”
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