Pep Ljinders reveals what Jurgen Klopp told Liverpool players after narrow Premier League title loss
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool lost the Premier League title to Manchester City by just a single point last season in what was an intense title race. Reds assistant manager Pep Lijnders has revealed what the German told his players in the wake of the disappointment.
The title race was decided on the last day of the season, with City holding a one-point lead heading into the final game. Liverpool defeated Wolves 3-1 to keep their hopes alive, but the Cityzens came from behind to earn a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Aston Villa to retain their title.
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Lijnders has revealed the team's reaction to the setback, in his new book Intensity: Inside Liverpool FC - Our Identity, published by Reach Sport, as quoted by The Mirror:
"After the final Premier League game of the season against Wolves, we had come from behind to win the match, but had still lost the title to Manchester City by a point," he wrote. "All the families joined us on the pitch directly after the game for the lap of appreciation.
He continued:
"We had won the match, but missed out on the title to Manchester City, and It showed that the best remedy for adversity is family – all the faces changed immediately when we saw our loved ones."
The assistant manager added how Klopp reacted to the situation by giving the team a much-needed morale-boosting talk. Quoting the German tactician, he wrote:
“What I learned about life is if you stay on track, when you keep going, you get the reward," said Klopp.
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“Not today, the maximum reward. We would have deserved it as well. But we will get it. It’s up to us to keep going and that’s what we will do. Next week, next season. What I said so often, the five minutes after the game are more important than the five days leading up to the game," he continued.
How Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool compared with Manchester City in Premier League last season
Jurgenn Klopp's Liverpool recorded an impressive 92 points in the Premier League last season, bagging 28 victories, eight draws and two defeats in 38 games. Manchester City, meanwhile, finished with 93 points, courtesy of 29 victories, six draws and three defeats.
Jurgen Klopp's men bagged 94 goals in the division, which was just five short of their rivals, with both teams letting in only 26 goals apiece. That was indeed a firecracker of a title race between the two strongest Premier League teams at the moment.