Jürgen Klopp has warned his side must be wary of Sheffield United’s threat
Jürgen Klopp has warned his Liverpool side cannot afford to underestimate Sheffield United at Anfield. The Reds return to Premier League action on Thursday night against the bottom-placed Blades after losing top spot to Arsenal.
The Gunners eased past Luton on Wednesday while Manchester City also beat Aston Villa to put the pressure back on Liverpool. Klopp’s side is a point behind Arsenal but will return to the top with victory.
Sheffield United is 10 points adrift of safety but Klopp has warned the threat of more deductions for Everton and Nottingham Forest will give Chris Wilder’s side belief they can stay up.
He said: “We play Sheffield United now and if I was them I would think that you never know what can happen this season with points deductions here or there. Maybe you only have to overcome one team and I would believe in that chance 100 per cent and that is the team I face now.”
Klopp also dismissed the suggestion that Liverpool will be out to considerably boost its goal difference in the match. Arsenal currently has the edge in those stakes but Klopp warned: “I want to win the game first — the result I’m not bothered about at the moment.
“It’s a little bit difficult. Sheffield United is in its best spell probably in the last two games (2-2 draw at Bournemouth and 3-3 at home to Fulham) and has been a bit unlucky with the results maybe, I don’t know I didn’t see the full games.
“I saw the clips and it’s always the same. Our game there (December’s 2-0 win) was Chris Wilder’s first game back and we had chances and we didn’t use them and that was for sure before the Manchester United game [0-0] so probably our counter press was not as good and they could come out.
“I remember them having counter attacking chances on the left wing and stuff like this and that is how they will set up it up with the two strikers up front, a partnership which works together, they both scored in the last game, and these kind of things will be tricky.
“I think being tense is normal. I don’t see this period of the season where anyone would play the calmest football of the whole season or playing everyone out of the stadium.”
