Klopp and Liverpool eyeing up Premier League history

Boss Jurgen Klopp is calling on his Liverpool side to put their own names in the history books after reaching the top of the Premier League for the first time under his tenure.

A 6-1 victory over Watford on Sunday saw the Reds hit the summit thanks to draws for Manchester City and Arsenal, with their performance heralded by some as the best at Anfield this season.

With 23 points from the last 27 available in the Premier League, optimism is inevitably high for a side who haven’t tasted top flight glory since 1990.

But in spite of a heart-breaking second-place finish behind Manchester City in 2013-14, Klopp believes Liverpool’s history – which also includes six league titles in the 1980s – is not something that should be in the mind in his current squad.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

“It’s a really good moment and I know that everybody compares with the past, especially at Liverpool,” he said.

“Three years ago, five, ten, 25 years ago – but this team is new, we are new. Our story started a few months ago so you cannot compare us with anyone else.

“You cannot carry the history on our backs; we should feel free for creating something in the near future.

“If everybody wants to say ‘we wait now for 20-something years for silverware’ or whatever, we can say ‘OK, we [have] tried, actually, only since a year!’

“So that gives us the freedom to look in the future quite optimistically.”