Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp has rated Arsenal highly ahead of tomorrow’s meeting.
Arsenal had won their last two meetings going into tomorrow’s clash at Anfield.
The German tactician has therefore backed them to be among six clubs challenging for the title this campaign. He also said that the race for the Premier League title will be an open one as multiple teams compete for glory this season. He added that the fight for the title won’t just be between Liverpool and Manchester City.
Klopp restored Liverpool to glory by winning their first Premier League trophy for the Anfield outfit for the first time in 30 years the last term, finishing 18 points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side. Man City, on the other hand, finished 15 points ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea.
But Klopp is not expecting such a huge gap this season as he now includes Tottenham in the mix.
‘Arsenal doesn’t deserve to finish eight’
Arsenal had finished last season in a distant eighth, 43 points behind Liverpool. But Klopp considers Mikel Arteta’s side, who beat his men in the Community Shield on spot-kicks, as challengers.
“They came eighth because they did not have time to sort the situation. They were not the eighth-best team in the league, they could’ve qualified easily for Europe [via the league], if not even the Champions League.
“The Premier League and these teams are too good, you can’t decide the season before it starts. It just doesn’t work like this.
“Man City, I think maybe people thought they could have some struggles at Wolves because Wolves are really good…and in the second half they could have got a point.
“Nobody is safe from this kind of thing, so we have to work incredibly hard. And over the other teams we have no influence. When we face them, we want to beat them.
“It’s an open race, Chelsea will be there, [Manchester] United will be there, Arsenal, Tottenham – these teams will always be there.
“There are tough moments for us and other teams and it’s about how you react and are you doing it in the right way.
“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to go through a lot of moments. I don’t know why today we talk about winning the league, I have no idea who will win but I know a lot of teams will try,” he added.
Liverpool had begun the defence of their title defence with wins over Leeds United and Chelsea, scoring six goals and conceding in the process.
