Liverpool FC’s chances of securing a top-four finish this season in the Premier League were branded ‘almost impossible’ by the Merseyside outfit’s boss Jurgen Klopp as the German made note of how rival clubs has raced ahead in the widely-contested battle.
Victory on Monday night against Wolves took the Reds above city foes Everton into sixth place but Jurgen Klopp’s men still remain five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea who have emerged as serious contenders to claim the final spot which guarantees Champions League football.
Speaking to German football legend Lotthar Mattheus, the Reds gaffer admitted that it was a tough task at hand for his players to secure the much-coveted top-four finish in light of an injury crisis affecting the club’s fortunes over the course of this campaign, coupled with a recent run of woeful form which has left the Merseysiders reeling in a host of trouble.
‘I like to be an optimist, but in the league it is almost impossible to qualify in the competition for the places that we have,’ Klopp told Mattheus, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
‘At Tottenham, Gareth Bale is now playing again, and they are also in the running. Plus City and Manchester United, who are far away. Chelsea is on the rise.
‘Reaching Champions League qualification through the league will be difficult, we know that. You don’t usually win the Champions League itself in a year with injury worries as big as we have, you know that, Lothar.’
‘The opponent usually doesn’t need a lot of chances against us because we make big mistakes, insane ones that can almost be described as slapstick.’
Klopp’s men still remain in contention for European glory this season after the recent two-legged win over German opponents RB Leipzig secured Liverpool FC’s spot in the last eight of the Champions League.
Domestic form, however, continues to be a major worrying factor for the outfit, with six home defeats on the Anfield turf allowing the likes of Chelsea and West Ham United to displace the Merseysiders in the league standings.
