‘Only better situation would be to be 20 points ahead of City’: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp has urged his players to enjoy the moment and insisted there is no pressure on them as they enter the defining stage of the season.

Liverpool returned to action with a 2-0 win over Watford that, for a few hours, sent them back to the top of the table for the first time since last September but they quickly relinquished top spot to Manchester City following their own 2-0 win at Burnley.

The Premier League’s dominant sides go head-to-head at the Etihad Stadium next Sunday and will then face each other at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final; before that, they will contest the Champions League quarter-finals, with Liverpool facing Benfica and City hosting Atletico Madrid.

Jurgen Klopp says there is no pressure on his side going into the business end of the season

Liverpool defeated Watford 2-0 at Anfield on Saturday afternoon in the early kick off

The stakes are so high that one slip would see Liverpool’s hopes of winning an unprecedented Quadruple be shattered but Klopp is not flustered and believes his squad should relish the prospect of trying to create history.

Klopp said: ‘I really appreciate the situation we are in. I told the boys yesterday if someone had told us in the summer at the end of March/early April we were in the situation we are in, won one trophy, in three competitions, full squad available, we should all take it.

‘The only better situation would be to be 20 points ahead of City but that’s not possible. That’s why it is all fine like it is. I don’t think we are favourites in one of the competitions we are in but who cares, we will give it a try.

‘It is nothing to do with managing it [pressure], it’s not like I pretend to be in a mood. It’s not managing the situation or the pressure. People see the situation like pressure – I’m not sure I can change that.

‘We create a basis which we could use but no-one knows because opponents have their own targets and go for it. I know people say Watford was an easy game but we saw what happened before. I cannot see situations like that: Benfica is extremely strong.’

The Liverpool manager believes his side are not favourite for the Premier League title

Klopp embraced his players after the win over the Hornets and was full of praise for Diogo Jota

Liverpool’s form has been relentless in the Premier League and they have won every fixture in the competition since January 16 – a run of 10 consecutive victories. It has enabled them to cut City’s lead which was once 14 points to a point but the perfection will need to be maintained.

‘You can’t give an inch but being on top I don’t think about that,’ said Klopp. ‘I was happy to win the game. To keep in the title race we have to win our football games, it will be really tricky. The next Premier League game is a big one, we can’t hide from that.

‘We know we have a Champions League game to play which is important. Play the game, that’s all we wanted. That’s what the boys wanted and we carry on.’