London:Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said the English Premier League champions will not rest on their laurels and continue to attack teams and not just defend their crown.
Liverpool recently ended their 30-year long wait for a top-flight title after they beat Crystal Palace 4-0 and Manchester City lost to Chelsea 1-2 away from home. This is also Liverpool’s first Premier League title since its inception in 1992.
The Reds travel to face City at the Etihad on Thursday.
“As long as we stay humble and greedy, we have a good chance to remain a really uncomfortable opponent,” Klopp said as quoted by Sky Sports. “When you are a really uncomfortable opponent, you have a chance to win. And when you have a chance to win, then sometimes you have to win.
“There are a lot of challenges, life is constantly a challenge, and our challenge is now being champions and playing seven games against teams that will fight for everything.
“We can show that we don’t run because we have to, we run because we want to.
“Next season, you can write stories about us being the defending champions or whatever, but that is why I say – we will not defend anything, we will attack it.”
Klopp said not only Man City but Manchester United and Chelsea will also be strong contenders for the title next season. “City will be strong next season, (Manchester) United will be strong next season, Chelsea will be strong next season. They all will be strong next season.
“It is obvious. City are just an outstanding team, United are in outstanding shape and Chelsea are in really good shape and are doing some interesting business. That is clear.
“Tottenham will not sleep, Arsenal will not sleep. They all will come. Leicester will be there. There are a lot of teams.”
On Manchester City giving Liverpool a guard of honour when the teams meet on Thursday, Klopp said: “I’m not sure if I ever got one (at Borussia Dortmund). I’m not 100 per cent sure but it is a long time ago that I won in Germany,” said Klopp.
“I don’t know if it’s a German tradition, but it’s an English tradition so we will take it. It is a nice gesture, 100 per cent.
“I wouldn’t need it to be honest because we go there to win a football game and don’t celebrate things that happened a week before, but it’s a nice gesture. That’s it pretty much.” (IANS)
