The Reds lacked the focus to upstage their arch-rivals Manchester City on their last visit to the Etihad Stadium, said Jurgen Klopp in his pre-match interview ahead of Sunday’s showdown between the two Premier League giants.
Liverpool FC were handed a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s side in July, a game that was the Merseyside giants’ first since they were crowned the league champions for the first time in 30 years.
Despite coming out as the strongest of favourites to clinch an important away victory at the Etihad Stadium, a quality showing from ex-Red Raheem Sterling allowed Manchester City to ship four goals past a timid looking Liverpool FC backline that day.
Admitting that his players were not in their usual temperament in their previous meeting with the Manchester-based outfit, Jurgen Klopp added that he and his squad were unaware as to how to prepare for a fixture of that sort, just days after being crowned the top-flight champions of England.
“If you are not 100 per cent focused on the game against City you will lose big,” he said. “I’m not sure I needed that game as proof but that was 100 per cent the case
“It was the first time we had won the league in England so I had no idea how to prepare the game.
“I didn’t want to overdo it – ‘Boys, forget what happened three days ago. Now it’s City and we can show the whole world’, blah, blah, blah.
“I didn’t do it. I’m not sure of that was right or wrong. I know my boys wanted to win that game but we were not as focused as we usually are in these games
“That explains a little bit. Still, we played some good football that night, but we did not score and they scored four times. It was not the most heavy defeat in my life.”
𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆.
COME ON YOU REDS! ✊#LFC | #MCILIV
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 8, 2020
A victory against Sunday’s hosts would allow Jurgen Klopp’s side to return to the top of the league standings, and Liverpool FC will surely be gearing up for perhaps one of the toughest opposition teams they have come across in recent seasons.
