Jürgen Klopp said he felt nothing about Liverpool’s latest landmark in what looks certain to be progress towards a first league title in 30 years. Klopp’s team won 1-0 at Tottenham thanks to a first-half goal from the magnificent Roberto Firmino to give them 61 points from an available 63 this season.
No team in any of Europe’s top five leagues has ever taken more points at this stage of a season. Klopp, however, made it clear this kind of detail paled when set against what is at stake in terms of the title. Liverpool are now 16 points clear of second-placed Leicester with a game in hand.
“I really try to respond in an appropriate way, but when somebody told me I didn’t feel anything,” Klopp said of the record. “It is just not like that. I am in football for 50 years or so and if somebody would have told me that would ever happen I would probably have said it’s not possible. Now it happened I don’t feel [anything]. I don’t know exactly what is wrong with me.
“It’s obviously very exceptional but we didn’t think for a second about it before the game. And after the game somebody had to remind me about it. It’s obviously exceptional but if it stays like this then I can think about it after five years or so. In the moment, I can just say what we try to do. All we have is still to create the basis for the rest of the season. We have a lot tough games to play, the next one is especially tough [at home to Manchester United] and we have to make sure we are ready for that.”
Klopp paid tribute to Firmino. “When I went to him and wanted to give him a hug after the game, he wanted to stop and talk first,” Klopp said. “He said: ‘I know I should have scored more goals.’ It was absolutely not what I wanted to say! He is a super player. I don’t say this for the first time and will hopefully not say it for the last time.”
José Mourinho, who felt his Spurs team deserved something from the game, is primed to sign the Portugal midfielder Gedson Fernandes on an 18-month loan from Benfica. The 21-year-old has two caps.
