Klopp relishing exceptionally tight race for Premier League title

Jürgen Klopp may be heading into his final 10 Premier League games as Liverpool FC manager, but the German remains as determined as ever to lead his side to glory.

Ten games remain in the race for the Premier League title, and Liverpool FC show absolutely no signs of relenting in pursuit of the biggest trophy of them all.

Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City FC at Anfield showed the absolute best of what Jürgen Klopp has built over his eight and a half years in charge of the club, and all without the likes of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and a number of other first-team squad members.

Alexis Mac Allister’s second half penalty cancelled out John Stones’ opener for the visitors, and the Reds put in a powerhouse performance in the second half that left Klopp buzzing about the possibilities of what’s to come between now and the end of May.

“We are this gritty, annoying, pain you will not get rid of. That’s actually the idea. In our situation we cannot now run away from other teams,” insisted the boss.

“Arsenal are in incredible shape, the last five or six games I saw them – which were outstanding – they played pretty much exactly the same line-up. No [Gabriel] Martinelli but then you have [Leandro] Trossard, that’s good as well!

“We just have to fight through to be there. [Against City], it was like, ‘Whoops, having a few boys back, that’s how it looks then.’”

The quality of the football on show left Klopp in no doubt that his side have every chance of securing their second Premier League title of his tenure.

“Obviously Mo [Salah] came on, the first pass I’m pretty sure was to Lucho [Diaz], alone in front of the goal. That’s the quality he has and we couldn’t use him properly.

“Dom [Szoboszlai] fought himself through, he was so greedy to play and wanted to play desperately. I’m pretty sure in the first half he was like, ‘Wow, that’s a motorway here’ and goes in all directions.

“Jarell Quansah, oh my God!” he added. “I would like to see the comments when you saw the line-up and Ibou [Konate] cannot play. Jarell Quansah against [Erling] Haaland, how people see it. Exceptional.

“Conor Bradley. Harvey Elliott. Still 20 and played eight positions today. Incredible football game. And all the others obviously: what Macca and [Wataru] Endo did, what Virgil [van Dijk] did.

“And Robbo [Andy Robertson] back, finally back. Robbo is back obviously but we always expect you’re back, play your best football immediately. That’s not that easy. And I saw the old Robbo and I’m really pleased with that.

“Joe Gomez! [Laughs] And up front, everybody was just a handful and really difficult to play against. It was a wonderful football game, I have to say.

“It’s a point. We proved we are rightly in the mix, and that’s it.”

Quansah has been a revelation since making his Premier League debut against Newcastle United FC in August, and the 21-year-old has quickly established himself as a key member of the Reds’ defence.

The youngster put in yet another imperious display against Erling Haaland and co. on Sunday.

"Obviously it's tough to play in a game like that, but for me personally I think to have the opportunity and to be able to learn against the best players in the world at this stage of my career is valuable,” said Quansah.

The Academy graduate is part of a group that believes they can bring more glory to the club’s support this season.

"Obviously I wasn't really part of the group last season but we've got great characters in the changing room, I think, and we've got confident lads who really want to go for the league this season.

"We are just happy to be in that position at this stage. We've played both of our rivals, so it's about trying to kick on and trying to win every game as we can and see where that takes us."

Next up for the Reds is the second leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 clash against Sparta Prague at Anfield on Thursday evening, with LFC holding a commanding 5-1 aggregate lead from the first clash.

Three days later, Klopp’s side will travel to Old Trafford to face Manchester United FC in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

One player who is taking every single game on the run-in in his stride is young right-back Bradley who, along with Quansah, has been a revelation since coming into the side on a regular basis.

"It's been mental!" said the Northern Irishman.

"Obviously since I got that game at Arsenal away, that was the main first one, it's just been a whirlwind. It's gone so quick for me.

"But I just want to keep working hard now, keep going and try to get as many more games as I can and keep playing well."

Finally, Wataru Endo has paid tribute to his midfield partner Mac Allister in the wake of Sunday’s draw with Pep Guardiola’s side.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that the Argentine World Cup winner is only 25, given his authority in the centre of the pitch, and his Japanese team-mate feels lucky to have Mac Allister beside him.

"He's incredible," Endo – himself a darling of the Reds’ faithful - said of Mac Allister.

“We always try to help each other, especially when we have the ball. I have a very good feeling with him.

"And these younger players [produced] an amazing performance. Now [the] injured players are coming back, little by little, so I think that we are on a good way right now."

Endo continued: "At the end of the season, this one point might be important. That's what we want to say. So, we need to keep playing like [this] and just try to win every game."