"They can do what they want" – Jurgen Klopp says dethroning Manchester United was never what he set out to do when he arrived at Liverpool
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that dethroning Manchester United as England's most successful club was never his intention when he arrived in October 2015.
Since the German's appointment as the Reds' manager, the Anfield side have won eight trophies. United, who have lifted three less major honors than their rivals' 46, have lifted five trophies since Klopp's arrival.
Ahead of Liverpool's FA Cup quarter-final match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday (March 17), Klopp was asked if he wanted to dislodge the Red Devils. He replied (h/t Echo):
"It is different. Alex Ferguson came from Scotland, I came from Germany. Different times. I know the famous phrase with the perch but I had other things to think about than Manchester United when I came. In my first year, Leicester won the league, second year Chelsea, then Manchester City started winning the league."
Klopp, who has been involved in four Premier League title races, said:
"Nothing with Manchester United, not me. I don't think about anybody else. If we face them, yes. If we don't face them, they can do what they want. I have nothing to do with that, I can't influence it. I was aware, I was told [we've won the most now]. It is important as long as we can win something [more], then I can count."
So far, Klopp has faced the Red Devils 19 times across competitions as Liverpool's boss. He has guided his team to seven wins, eight draws, and four losses, bagging 34 goals and conceding 14 in the process.
Jurgen Klopp opines on Liverpool's ongoing injury crisis ahead of Manchester United tie
Despite Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, and Dominik Szoboszlai recovering from their recent layoffs, Liverpool have a long list of injured players now. They will miss the likes of Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, and Thiago Alcantara in their upcoming FA Cup last-eight tie at Manchester United.
At a pre-match press conference, Klopp shed light on how his club have managed to overcome their injury crisis in the past couple of weeks. He remarked (h/t Echo):
"Injuries have affected us but two things [have helped us]; the dressing room culture and the structure we have set on the pitch. We have developed a lot during the season – we don't change the way we play, the boys know what they have to do when they come on and when they don't play, they train in the same way."
Liverpool, who operate in a 4-3-3 setup with two number eights, have been in good form this campaign. They have registered 33 wins and just four losses in 45 games so far, scoring a staggering 117 goals so far.