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Jurgen Klopp: Manchester City Win 'Just the Start' for Liverpool in Title Race
November 13, 2019
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said that beating Manchester City 3-1 at Anfield on Sunday is "just the start" for his side as they aim to break their 30-year title drought.
The victory moved the Reds eight points clear at the top of the Premier League table and nine points ahead of defending champions City:
They will have a chance to move 12 points clear of the Sky Blues, although perhaps only briefly, when they visit Crystal Palace on November 23 after the international break.
Klopp said he could barely have asked for a better start to the campaign than 11 wins and a draw, but he warned there is still a long way to go before Liverpool can be considered champions elect, per James Carroll of Liverpool's official website:
"It's just the start, that's how it is, everybody knows that. If you would have told me that you can have 34 points [at this stage of the season], wow. It's pretty much impossible, but we did it, but now the boys go for the last international break of the year. They have to come back healthy. You saw it how intense it was [against City].
"Hopefully they all come back healthy and then we go to Crystal Palace. I think the last games are somewhere on the planet on Tuesday in the week that we play on Saturday against Crystal Palace.
“So they will fly back on the Wednesday, Thursday have a recovery session and Friday, Saturday 'Hello, Crystal Palace.' That's the situation, so nothing happens so far, but it's still the best situation we could have asked for, so let's hope we can carry on."
Liverpool have a hectic schedule ahead of them, so it is no surprise Klopp is sweating over the fitness of his players:
Two of his key men, Andy Robertson and Mohamed Salah, are doubts for the visit to Selhurst Park:
Klopp will be desperate for his side to beat the Eagles in order to maintain their momentum going into one of the most crucial parts of the season.
Palace were previously something of a bogey team for Liverpool.
In five matches against them from May 2014, Liverpool have managed just one victory, in the FA Cup.
They were beaten three times by Palace in that stretch, and infamously sacrificed a 3-0 lead in the other to draw 3-3, which played a key role in them losing the 2013-14 Premier League title to City:
The Reds have firmly put that hoodoo to rest, though, by beating Palace in each of their last four meetings.