Jurgen Klopp acknowledges Liverpool’s status as one of the world’s best
Written by News on 24/02/2020
Jurgen Klopp is unsure if Liverpool are the number one team in world football but admits his side is definitely up there with the best clubs on the planet.
Liverpool will move 22 points clear at the top of the Premier League if they beat West Ham on Monday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
Timo Werner is the latest high-profile name to describe Liverpool as the best team in the world but Klopp is not totally convinced his side deserve that particular tag.
“This thing with ‘the best team in the world,’ I don’t really get it,” he said ahead of Monday’s visit of West Ham.
“It’s nice when people say it. It’s better than if they say you are the worst team in the world obviously.
“Usually if people mention ‘the best team in the world,’ you think of Real Madrid from a few years ago, Barcelona from a few years ago, Man City of the last two years and stuff like this.
“The team we have is about attitude – go and go and go – mixed with really good football players.
“But I think for the whole world, Liverpool are one of the top, top, top, top clubs.”
Klopp warned Liverpool’s on-field success – which has seen them win the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup in the last eight months – will not necessarily help the club attract the best players in the world.
“If they (players) see you are successful, it’s easier to get into talks with players,” he said.
“But on the other side, it’s more difficult the better your team is because they ask questions like ‘where and when would I play?’
“We need players who want to be part of this, who want to fight for their spot, who want to make the next step together with us, who want to develop and improve so that’s it.
“We have these players and whoever wants to join us, needs to have exactly this kind of attitude.”
Klopp is convinced Liverpool are now well-equipped to hang on to their star performers although he concedes Barcelona and Real Madrid will always remain an attractive proposition for players.
“In the South American part of the world, the other two – Barcelona and Real Madrid – are a bit more famous which makes sense language and culture-wise.
“It’s why calls from them could always cause some trouble, but apart from that, there’s not 500 clubs who could buy players from us.”
(c) Sky Sports 2020: Jurgen Klopp acknowledges Liverpool’s status as one of the world’s best
