Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp accepts the pressure is now off after dropping out of the title race and he wants his players to enjoy their final three games with him.
Klopp, who leaves at the end of the season, believes his side will not overtake rivals Arsenal or Manchester City in the Premier League.
The third-placed Reds head into the weekend five points behind the Gunners, who are top, and four behind second-placed City, who have a match in hand.
Liverpool’s return to the Champions League was secured when Sunday’s opponents, Tottenham, lost at Chelsea on Thursday so Klopp’s side seemingly have nothing left to play for except giving the German a good send-off.
Jürgen Klopp has provided a fitness update on Conor Bradley, Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk ⤵️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) May 3, 2024
“It is an achievement (qualifying). Does it feel to everybody like that? Maybe not. To me it does,” said Klopp.
“The pressure is off now. That’s done. It would be really cool if we could play really good football again because obviously we were very tense in the last few weeks.
“For a while we obviously looked like we can go all the way. Or at least stay in the race for longer, which was definitely possible (but) for different reasons that didn’t work out.
“Probably third place in the league behind two teams who do really well and they go all the way, that’s how it looks right now.
“I know mathematically there’s still a chance; it is not over yet, I know that but it looks like it.”
Klopp hopes having some freedom will help his players, who crucially seized up as the title run in began to ramp up.
But he knows regaining lost confidence is one of the most difficult things in sport.
“Getting the flow back is, for all human beings, the biggest challenge in our lives,” he added.
“On the good days, we are all great. We had lots of days that were not that great.
“The only difference with footballers is they constantly have a camera in their face while they are going through difficult spells.
“It’s tricky but you don’t do it by putting your finger into it all the time and saying, ‘That’s not good enough… that’s not good enough.’ You just try to offer things where things can develop naturally again.
“That’s what we tried this week so far and will do until the end, giving the boys the necessary information as well.
“In the end you only can enjoy football when you win and that means you have to make sure that we defend properly and then for the rest we have to build on that.”
By Carl Markham, PA
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