Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reiterated his belief that Premier League title rivals Manchester City are the best team in the world.
Alexis Mac Allister’s second-half penalty earned the Reds a point against City at Anfield on Sunday in a game Liverpool had the better of as part of a thrilling title race which has them level on points with leaders Arsenal and a point above the reigning champions with 10 matches remaining.
“We did not quite manage to get the result that we wanted but we did show, from a performance point of view, that we are definitely ready to stay in the race until the end of the season,” Klopp said in Liverpool’s programme before their Uefa Europa League round of 16 second leg at home to Sparta Praha on Thursday. “That is all you can ever ask for in mid-March.
“City are, in my opinion, the best team in the world, so to play the way we did against them, in the second half especially, could not have made me more proud.”
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Klopp praised his players for overcoming a “really tricky” injury situation which has eased but still left him without the likes of goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and forward Diogo Jota.
“I could not be more proud of how the players have handled a really, really tough period,” said the German.
“There have been so many challenges, so many tests and also some problems, so to come through it the way they have is really special.”
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Liverpool vs Sparta: Klopp issues warning
Having already won the Carabao Cup, Liverpool lead Sparta 5-1 from the first leg and visit Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday, by which time they will hope the prospect of a quadruple in Klopp’s final season in charge remains credible.
The Czech side are massive underdogs to impede Liverpool’s progress but Klopp emphasised that his warnings about Sparta’s threat were genuine.
“For those who believe I am just saying ‘the right things’ to keep my team on their toes, you could not be more wrong,” he said.
“The truth is that if the roles were reversed, I would still be sending my team out to do everything in their power to turn the tie into a real fight. I have no doubt Sparta will do exactly the same thing.”
Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai could be given more minutes at Anfield as he continues his comeback from injury, while Klopp has said Mohamed Salah is ready to start, although the forward may not be risked with the outcome of the tie all-but settled.
