Jurgen Klopp identifies Liverpool’s “biggest enemy” in Premier League title race – Footymercato.com

Jurgen Klopp has warned Liverpool that they could be their own worst enemies as the Premier League title race heats up.

The Reds were bumped down to second place on Wednesday following Arsenal’s comfortable 2-0 win at home to Luton. Klopp’s side are also now level on points with Manchester City, who thrashed Aston Villa 4-1 thanks to a sublime Phil Foden hat-trick.

Liverpool welcome basement dwellers Sheffield United to Anfield on Thursday, knowing that a win would take them back to the summit and restore their two-point lead with eight games to go. The Reds don’t have the advantage when it comes to goal difference, though, trailing Arsenal by eight strikes and leading reigning champions City by just two.

Asked whether or not the topic of Liverpool improving their goal difference against the Blades will be part of his pre-match team talk, Klopp replied: “No, definitely not.

“I want to win the game first – the result I’m not bothered about at the moment. Sheffield are in their best spell probably in the last two games and they’ve been a bit unlucky with the results maybe.

“They have an idea. I remember [in Chris Wilder’s first game back as Sheffield United manager] them having ­counter-attacking chances on the left wing against us and that is how they will set it up, with the two strikers up front, a partnership [Ben Brereton Diaz and Oli McBurnie] which works together, they both scored in the last game, and these things will be tricky.

“The biggest enemy is the wrong attitude. If we would show that, and a big part of that is thinking who scores how many goals. And that will not happen.”

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Left-back Andy Robertson and playmaker Curtis Jones are both poised to return from injury on Thursday, although midfielder Wataru Endo is a doubt after picking up a knock during Sunday’s 2-1 win at home to Brighton. Meanwhile, long-term absentees Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic are ­expected to be back in full training next week.

“Curtis is in training, full training, and is in contention,” Klopp revealed. “Yeah, that’s it pretty much… The other boys [are] doing well. Diogo and Trent are together in a group, which helps both, but [it] looks like from next week on they will be hopefully in parts of team training, and then we will see the rest.

“Ali is with the goalkeeper coaches, so I just see them through the fence, but that looks good as well. I think in his mind as well, next week parts of team training.”

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