Football: Klopp says ‘results machine’ Man United are in Premier League title race
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said the Manchester United team now is really good.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised Manchester United’s revival under Erik ten Hag and believes the Red Devils are still in the Premier League title race ahead of their trip to Anfield on Sunday.
United will stay third in the table even if they lose this weekend, which shows their progress, especially after they lost their first two games of the season.
Ten Hag’s side have already ended a six-year wait for silverware by lifting the League Cup
“It is obviously not a team built up for the next 20 years because of the players they have signed. It is for now – but now they are really good,” Klopp said on Friday.
“They have turned into a results machine. They are squeezing results out with some really good performances. Top football, and if it is not going so well, they still get results.
“That’s why they are there. Everyone knows it, they are fully in a fight to win the league.”
Marcus Rashford’s career-best tally of 25 goals in all club competitions
“It’s pretty much impossible to be happy about something positive at Manchester United when you are the Liverpool manager, but I am really happy for Rashford because he had a very difficult last year when he was not performing on the level that he is able to perform,” he said.
“Now he is playing incredible. His speed, his technique – it is a mix of everything. How calm he is in front of goal, he scores worldies, he scores the simple ones, he can put his head in.
“We have to defend against that collectively. He is not their only world-class player.”
United were hammered 5-0 at home and 4-0 away in their two league meetings with Liverpool last season under former manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and interim boss Ralf Rangnick.
Under ten Hag, however, the Red Devils won 2-1 at Old Trafford, which was also the Dutchman’s third match in charge following the team’s defeats by Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford to start the season.
Liverpool, meanwhile, have suffered an incredible slump in form. The Reds are 10 points behind United (49) and face a fight just to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish.
Real Madrid laid bare their deficiencies with an embarrassing 5-2 win on Feb 21 – the first time Klopp’s men had conceded five goals at home in European competition. However, there have been signs of recovery in the league, with Liverpool taking 10 points from a possible 12 thanks to four straight clean sheets.
“This is a week where I would like to give the season a proper push,” added the German. “I said I would like to squeeze everything out of this season. That means to finish as high as we can.”
He confirmed that he will have most of his squad available, except for the injured Thiago Alcantara and Luis Diaz.
Roberto Firmino, who has recently returned from injury, is set to leave on a free transfer when his contract expires after this season, bringing an end to an eight-year career at Anfield.
Sky Sports and the BBC reported on Friday that the 31-year-old Brazilian is one of five players, besides Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and goalkeeper Adrian, who are out of contract in the post-season.
AFP, REUTERS
