With current leaders Manchester City in FA Cup quarter-final action this weekend, a win at Craven Cottage would take Liverpool back above Pep Guardiola’s side, two points clear albeit having played a game more.
Jurgen Klopp has called on his Liverpool players to take the opportunity to return to the top of the Premier League table when they take on Fulham, live on Renault Super Sunday.
However, Klopp warned that relegation-threatened Fulham is playing without pressure since Scott Parker took caretaker charge and should not be taken lightly.
“Scott is in now and nobody thinks so desperately about staying in the league, it’s about playing football, getting points and seeing where it leads to,” he told Sky Sports.
“There is no pressure anymore really, that’s what makes them dangerous. Not only that, we had a tough game against them [at Anfield]. “It was difficult enough that day, we know that and we respect that but it’s still a game for us. So it has to be an opportunity as well, hopefully, we can use it.”
Liverpool should arrive in the capital in confident mood after progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals, where they will play Porto, with a memorable 3-1 win away at Bayern Munich.
The time on the training ground that Klopp values so highly will, therefore, be at a minimum as they challenge on two fronts, but the German is not spending any of the precious free time he and his team do have worrying about it.
“We are pretty experienced in that, it’s not the first time,” he added. “Pretty much since I came in, apart from one year, we have always been in two competitions until the last match day, we were in the Europa League final, Champions League final and this year we’re still in the competition.
“It’s a normal thing, we cannot train a lot, that’s how it is. You have to use each minute to rest and relax, for the boys, it is very important, for us as coaches it is important as well.
“Then, in the moment when the rest is over you have to immediately restart, reboot the machine and then it’s onto the next one.”
Liverpool’s hunt for a first league title since 1990 will be put on hold for a couple of weeks after the Fulham game as Klopp’s charges jet off to play for their respective national teams.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss will be counting the days until they return though, he hopes fully fit and ready for one final sprint to the line.
“The boys should know to inform me immediately after the game (that they are fine), a thumbs up is enough or if it’s not a thumbs up then that’s not so cool but that’s information as well,” he added.
“[A thumbs up to the camera] would be cool but they don’t think about me immediately after the game, that’s OK but I think constantly about them so that’s the difference.”
The only thing that might make the time away from his players that much more bearable for Klopp would be the knowledge that his side are top of the table for the duration of their absence – and for that, Liverpool must beat Fulham on Sunday.
Source: sky sports
