Jurgen Klopp delivers verdict on Chelsea and Tottenham title challenge
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has reiterated his belief that both Chelsea and Tottenham are genuine challengers to claim his side's Premier League crown.
The Reds sauntered to a maiden League title last season but they have found the going much tougher in the current campaign.
Liverpool currently sit in second place on the table, level on points with Tottenham but with an inferior goal difference, while Chelsea are two points behind in third.
The two London sides will clash this weekend in what many are already tipping to be a key decider in the title race.
This season has been one of the most competitive in history and there have already been several surprising results, with Liverpool themselves on the receiving end of a 7-2 hammering by Aston Villa.
Jurgen Klopp has revealed the quality present in several Premier League squads, while also stating that he is not surprised by the performances of Chelsea and Tottenham.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Reds manager said:
''There’s a lot of quality in these squads and with the managers,"
"A lot of good work is done on the training ground."
"They all played so far a really good season. I’m not surprised that Tottenham or Chelsea are where they are."
''Southampton look really, really good too and we know how good Leicester are. It’s a sign that the teams are close together this year."
''You have to be ready for that because it’s really tough for all of us. But I’m not surprised.""
Liverpool, Tottenham, and Chelsea all among clubs allowed to allow fans into stadiums from next week
New announcements were made by the British government, granting some clubs the privilege of allowing fans into stadiums.
Cities have been graded from tiers 1 through 3 and those in tiers one and two are allowed to have fans in stadiums, while those in tier three would remain closed for the foreseeable future.
Tottenham and Chelsea both fall into tier one, as do Liverpool, meaning they will all be allowed to have a maximum of 4,000 fans in their stadiums from next week.
Football matches in England have been played behind closed doors since March to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic but progress has been made since then. It has finally been deemed relatively safe enough to allow fans into stadiums at a fraction of their capacity.
Chelsea will host Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in the marquee fixture of Gameweek 10, while Liverpool travel to Brighton.