Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta expressed their anger after their teams gave up the top spot in the English Premier League to Manchester City, their strongest competitor and defending champion.
Klopp said in press statements following Liverpool’s 1-0 loss against Crystal Palace: “You will certainly ask questions about losing 5 points in two matches, and the impact of that on our chances of winning the league championship. I understand that.”
The German coach explained: “The answer is very easy: If we played as we did in the first half, why would we win the league? “If we play like in the second half, we can win football matches.”
He continued: “If we can win football matches, we will see how much we can win. We have to be present when others stumble. “For us, it is clear that we have to win anyway.”
He pointed out that Liverpool has 4 matches away from home, which is difficult at the present time, but its players have to deal with it, stressing that the criticism directed at them from the fans is correct.
For his part, Mikel Arteta revealed his extreme annoyance at Arsenal’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa, declaring: “We suffered, and in the second half our level declined, which they took advantage of, as we conceded two goals poorly, which cost us points in the match.”
Arteta insisted that the result of the match does not reflect the equal level between the two teams, but he believes it is necessary to congratulate Aston Villa for achieving the victory, calling on his players to forget the result of the match and focus on facing Bayern Munich in the second leg of the quarter-finals of the Champions League, on Wednesday.
It is noteworthy that Manchester City is alone at the top of the English Premier League standings, with 73 points, two points behind Arsenal and Liverpool, with 6 matches remaining for each team until the end of the tournament.