Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp had a recent pre match interview before his team’s clash against Manchester City on Saturday. He has admitted that Liverpool’s form this season has not been up to the mark at all and this has brought them “down to the ground”. And ahead of the back to back clashes against some of the Premier League heavyweights, he has said that the fixtures will be “like a Champions League week”.

Liverpool will travel to Manchester City on Saturday with Chelsea to play on Tuesday and if they can survive these two fixtures, they will have to host the league-leaders Arsenal at Anfield next Sunday. Liverpool are at a point in the Premier League where they cannot afford to lose a single match if they are to have any hope of a Champions League qualifications finish.

Klopp said that he believes in his staff and players and stated that they “are not dumb” and even they know the recent state of the club. The players also reckon that they need to improve their gameplay and fight for the points that will get them to a top four finish.

He said, “It’s like a Champions League week. I’m super excited. We are not dumb. We know the last game vs Madrid wasn’t a good game, before that at Bournemouth wasn’t a good game, the one before was world class. We have to pick up from there and react to the other two games.”

When asked if he is ready and hungry for points after a long international break, he added, “For me, yes. I was ready for a few days without analysing this game again. That’s not what we want to be [Real Madrid second leg]. You can play there and lose there, but we should have showed more there. Historically we finish strong. Last year nearly four trophies. This year we’re out early. It brings back down to ground. It’s gone. Now it’s clear top four is the one thing we can go for. We don’t have a perfect position but it’s possible.”