Liverpool ready for the fight as Klopp eyes title rivals

LONDON (AFP): Liverpool will fight “for everything” this season but manager Jurgen Klopp expects it to be a really tough battle between several clubs as his side bids to regain the Premier League title that Manchester City reclaimed last term. Whilst new signings, unlike their main rivals, have been kept to a minimum – France Under-21 defender Ibrahima Konate was announced back in May from Bundesliga side RB Leipzig – Liverpool have focussed on getting key players to sign new contracts.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander Arnold, Fabinho and notably, on Friday, Virgil van Dijk all agreed to new deals. Klopp says they will all be essential to Liverpool’s title challenge and rediscovering the panache that saw them crowned champions in 2020 for the first time in three decades. “Last year, the gap was pretty big (City had a 12-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United and 17 over Liverpool),” said Klopp at Friday’s press conference ahead of their opening Premier League match away on Saturday to newlypromoted Norwich. “The previous season, the gap between us was pretty big (Liverpool finished 18 points clear of City). I’m not sure if it can get any more intense for all the rest. We will see.