Ahead of a huge midweek match against Chelsea, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is feeling better about his team's chances of finishing in the Premier League's top four than he was a week ago.
"I think a week ago we were out, now we are around again," Klopp said in a pre-match press conference on Wednesday. "So for us the challenge and the job is clear: we have to win football games, as many as possible to make it in the top four. That's how it is."
The catalyst behind Klopp's renewed optimism is his side's 2-0 win at Sheffield United on the final day of February, which snapped a four-game league losing streak and kept the club ahead of crosstown rival Everton. The Reds are in sixth place ahead of Thursday's clash with Chelsea, with a potential victory propelling them above fourth-place West Ham.
Klopp admitted that a win against red-hot Chelsea would be tough to achieve but Liverpool's current situation means that the defending Premier League champion will simply need to rack up victories regardless of the opposition.
"We cannot make a difference who we face but we know, of course, about the quality of Chelsea, and Chelsea have the same targets [as we do]," Klopp said. "But there are other teams obviously – our neighbours [Everton], there's West Ham, Tottenham will come again and of course Leicester, [Manchester] United maybe not really involved [in the race for the final Champions League spots] anymore, I'm not sure, and [Manchester] City is obviously already gone. That's all clear. For the neutral fan it's exciting, for the Liverpool supporters it's exciting as well but maybe not in exactly the way they want. But we will give it a proper try."
First up for Klopp's men is a Chelsea side that's been rejuvenated under new manager Thomas Tuchel. The Blues have not lost since Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard in January, and they are now directly ahead of Liverpool in the standings after languishing midtable for much of the first half of the campaign.
Klopp heaped praised on Tuchel for orchestrating a turnaround at Stamford Bridge so quickly.
"Obviously [he has] a clear philosophy, clear idea, absolutely possession-based, different formations," Klopp said of the new Chelsea boss. "He used the time and got immediate results but used the time as well to get more knowledge about the squad. He changed quite a lot and that's normal with the amount of games we have, but he really changed a lot."
Among the most important changes Klopp says Tuchel brought about at Chelsea is the renewed focus on possession, which Liverpool will have to plan for. The Reds will need to bide their time while also outworking their opponents if they are to get a positive result on Thursday, Klopp said.
"You have to work a lot and then there are situations [where] it's not that you have the ball all the time and face a deep block," he explained. "There will be a deep block when we can be dominant but in other moments they are just defending in the right way and use then the space you give them for counter-attacks. Patient you always have to be, but I don't think this is a game where [you have to be] specifically patient.
Liverpool vs. Chelsea kicks off Thursday, March 4, at 3:15 p.m. ET on DAZN Canada. Click here for a free trial.