Jurgen Klopp insists Manchester United’s critics are wrong to write them off ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool at Anfield.
Erik Ten Hag’s side have endured a miserable week – losing 3-0 at home in the league to Bournemouth before crashing out of Europe after losing to Bayern Munich.
Premier League leaders Liverpool, who are 10 points ahead of United, suffered a humiliating 7-0 defeat when the bitter rivals last met on Merseyside in March, but Klopp believes a “strange” result will not help the hosts this weekend.
Go deeper
‘This was history’ – how Liverpool scored seven goals past Manchester United
“I never like it when the headlines are about United not being great before we play, because it’s like, ‘OK, this is the game where they can put everything right,'” Klopp said.
“I don’t follow United closely enough to know exactly what the problem is, but I saw Erik ten Hag was the coach last month. I’ve seen they are the team at their best, so how can it all be wrong? I just don’t understand it.
“We knew that day that 7-0 was a freak, once-in-a-lifetime result. If it helps anyone in the next game, it’s the team that lost 7-0, not the team that won 7-0.
“Take all that into account and just play a football match against historic rivals Liverpool at Anfield – that in itself should make it a special game. Really understand the situation and give it your all, that’s all I need.
Sunday marks the start of a difficult period for Liverpool with Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against West Ham, followed by next Saturday’s clash with title rivals Arsenal at Anfield.
Klopp added: “We will need Anfield for sure, because it is really difficult and they are all big games.”
“This group has never seen a December together, and December in English football is the toughest month ever. Now we have to show how well we cope.
“When you’re at the top of the table in early December, people start thinking different things but we don’t. I’ve been in this business so long that it doesn’t mean anything to me.
“It’s better than being 18th or 20th, but it’s still just a position at the moment and we have to keep working very hard and that’s very difficult when you don’t have real time to recover.”
Go deeper
Anfield has become a graveyard for Manchester United, and it may be about to get worse
(Photo: Getty Images)
“Coffee ninja. Web fan. Hipster-friendly beer enthusiast. Professional creator.”