Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has asked his players to “be angry” when they play Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday. After a horrid season that had seen the Reds drop to 13th place at one stage, they are now in eighth place and looking to seal a European spot by the end of the season.
The Anfield club are now six points away from fourth-placed Manchester City who they beat 3-0 in midweek. Both teams have played a game less since they played in the Capital One Cup final and Klopp’s side could move up a position if they win the game in hand.
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Crystal Palace had won at Anfield back in November which was incidentally Klopp’s first game in charge at Anfield. Both Klopp and Palace manager Alan Pardew had a war of words on the touchline during the game as the visitors took all three points with a 2-1 win.
“Angriness in a sport is good,” said Klopp. “Against Crystal Palace, there is a reason to strike back. We should not have lost that game. There are a lot of reasons to be angry.
The German manager also explained why anger would be useful as Palace were a side that depended on its physicality and got on their nerves.
“Crystal Palace were a really physical side. They will give you, in the first two minutes, 500 reasons to be angry.
“We need physicality. You can’t go to Crystal Palace and say ‘we will play a little bit of football’. I hope we will be like that in future. I really believe in this team. We have to be angry.”
Top four is possible only if other clubs slip up: Klopp
In spite of the recent win over City, Klopp is still not sure they can target a top four spot and qualify for the Champions League. He believed that it was out of their hands and that the top four teams needed to ‘make mistakes’ if the Reds were to move up the table.
“We can only go in the top four if the others makes mistakes,” Klopp said. “We have to do everything right and they have to make mistakes.
“At this moment, it doesn't look like we can make it. We will all watch the situation with the first three or four to see if it changes.
“Maybe Leicester feels pressure, do Arsenal have a chance or not? I don’t care. I am interested as a football fan, of course, but we have our own problems.
“We have to be minimum in the top four for the last 11 games. Where that takes us at the end of the season, we will see.”
