Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes there is still room for improvement from his side despite their status as runaway Premier League leaders.
The Reds were 25 points clear of second-placed Manchester City and seemingly just a couple of weeks away from being crowned champions when football was halted because of coronavirus last month.
A top-flight title would be their first in the Premier League era while they won the Champions League last season.
While he has presided over a side that has enjoyed almost unprecedented levels of dominance in recent months, Klopp insists Liverpool can get even better.
โThis team is not a finished article,โ Klopp told Sky Sports News. โItโs not done yet, we have a lot of space for improvement yet.
โThere is fresh blood internally coming up. We can mix things through. We can improve it with this team which is really great.โ
Yet Klopp also said he feared getting sacked by the club early in his tenure if he was not afforded the time to reshape the squad.
The early years were spent building the team into title contenders and Klopp said he knew he had to convince Liverpoolโs owners โ Fenway Sports Group โ that he needed time to change their playing style.
โIt was clear we cannot fix it overnight. Everyone wanted that but we couldnโt so I had to ask for time, I knew,โ Klopp said.
โBefore that in my career I never got the sack so I had no experience with that, but I knew then it was a different level, and if I canโt deliver here quick enough, then I will get the sack.
โWe got that time and the nice thing is that after six, seven, eight games, they were really positive about the situation, they realised we were on the right path. From that moment they didnโt question it one second.โ
Former Liverpool striker Ian Rush meaanwhile feels Kloppโs men deserve recognition for their achievement this season.
โLiverpool have got a great history but this group of players have broken all records,โ said Rush. โThey do need to be recognised, the standards they have set.
โThey are 25 points ahead. The way Liverpool have played this season they deserve to win the Premier League. They have played entertaining football. They have taken it to a different level.โ
REUTERS