Klopp vows to attack the Premier League, not defend it

Martin Macdonald

Jurgen Klopp reckons the best form of defence is attack as he prepares his Liverpool side for the 2020/21 Premier League season as reigning champions.

After a wait of three decades, Liverpool finally won the English top flight in the 2019/20 campaign, and in emphatic fashion too as they finished a huge 18 points clear of second placed Manchester City.

The pressure is now on for them to defend their title, and he naturally believes his charges are up for the challenge, while saying they won't abandon their philosophy of attacking to win every match.

"We will not try to defend it, we will try to attack the next one," Klopp said in the pre-match press conference for the Community Shield on Saturday.

"That's the truth, you don't change your approach. That is what we always did and there is no reason for changing it.

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"Motivation will not be our problem. I know this team will not stop trying.

"I don't expect everything to happen for me, I never expected it, but I expect I will give absolutely everything and I expect the boys to do that as well."

Klopp is of the opinion that being champions won't make much of a difference to other teams travelling to Anfield - as they are always desperate to beat Liverpool regardless.

"When I came here I was really surprised how much a game against Liverpool means to other teams, even when we were not considered as Liverpool of the past, like seventh or eighth in the league," he continued.

"When we arrived at the stadium I thought, 'Wow, they really have a proper go for it'.

"That has never changed, so I am not sure we can have a bigger target on our back than we already had last season.

"Everybody wanted to beat us, obviously, for a good reason. [Although] not so many could do it, I don't think that will change.

"If we think because we are champions they want to beat us even more, then we have already lost a few per cent of our approach, mood, attitude and all that stuff. I am not ready for that."

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