Reds boss Jurgen Klopp accentuated that he will not stop ‘believing in the project’ even if they fail to seal a place in the Champions League next season.
Klopp’s Liverpool were held to a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at Etihad on Sunday night.
James Milner gave Liverpool the lead from a second half penalty but Man City superstar Sergio Aguero clinched the equaliser with 20 minutes from full-time. The Reds had a golden opportunity to score the winner but Adam Lallana failed to convert an easy chance.
Klopp was asked whether he has been left to lament after dropping crucial points against the ‘lesser sides’ after they delivered good performances against the big guns and now impressing again Guardiola’s side.
The 1-1 draw with Man City now leaves Liverpool fourth in the Premier League table, four points ahead of fifth placed Manchester United but having played two more games than the Red Devils.
Klopp said: “We are still in the battle. That’s how it is. It’s important but we have to improve. I know a lot of reasons why we couldn’t, but it’s a long term project.”
“If I have to wake up every morning and think ‘Oh my God, we lost the points here and there’, it wouldn’t make any difficult so I don’t do it.”
“I am really focused on the moment. If I think about something then it’s about the future. The rest in done with analysis.”
“We could have done better in the other games. There is one outstanding consistent side this year and they will be champions, that’s well deserved and then all the rest fight with all we have for the Champions League.”
“If we do it then it’s a success, if we don’t then we will be disappointed but it would not stop working and believing in this project.”
“We are really convinced about the circumstances we have and we want to use it.”
However, now the former Dortmund manager has shifted his focus on the upcoming Merseyside derby – but he hopes that his players return from the international break injury free.
He added: “The next game against Everton, they are quite impressive, it’s not only a derby but another very important game.”
“We send the boys around the world to their national team and hopefully they come back healthy. Then we go again.”