The one thing Liverpool can’t let slip away following the stalemate with Everton is the huge amount of positivity running through the club. That’s exactly what Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and his backroom team will be trying to get over to the squad after they missed out on the chance to go back to the top of the Premier League table with the 0-0 draw at Goodison Park on Sunday in the Merseyside derby clash. Just like the buzz you get from winning betting bonuses, Klopp will want the upsurge in mentality to be retained within his squad despite allowing Manchester City to stay a point ahead of them in the league standings.
The draw, and the single point collected, means the Anfield giants have won five points from a possible nine in their past three outings (the first was a goalless draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United and then a thumping win over Watford at Anfield) but the positives from those games are that they haven’t endured defeat. Indeed, Klopp’s men have only suffered one loss all season and that to City, ironically their rivals for the league crown.
There are still nine games left to play before the campaign comes to a close and the destination of the title is decided — and Klopp for one won’t allow nay negativity to creep into the camp with the target still sharply in focus.
Following the tense stand-off against the Blues, he said:
“We are positive – how couldn’t we be positive? There is a lot to come and a lot of games to play. What brought us here was the stability the boys showed. We are difficult to beat, which is very important in football. And we created, still, in difficult games, which is very important in football.
“Then you have to finish them off, which we did very often but not at Everton. The dynamic [at the top of the table] changed a little bit – now we are second, they are first. The season is not over and we will not give up.”
The “not giving up” starts again this Sunday when Klopp’s charges take on an unpredictable Burnley side at Anfield with three points needed to maintain the challenge at the top of the table. The Clarets, managed by Sean Dyche, sit in 16th place in the table and are keen to acquire more points on the board to avoid being dragged into a relegation fight.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City host Watford at the Etihad Stadium a day earlier. City go into the game as favourites against the Hornets, who are placed eighth in the standings and travel with expectation after securing a 2-1 win over Leicester City in the league last time of asking.
On another positive note for the Reds, midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is ready to make a comeback after 11 months out injured with a knee issue. The former Arsenal ace will get among the action when Liverpool U23s take on Derby County on Friday at the Championship side’s training ground.
