Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool will have to fight to retain the Premier League title, admitting to the Liverpool Echo he has been impressed by Southampton, Leicester City and current table-toppers Tottenham Hotspur.
The former Dortmund boss told the Daily Mail last week there could be up to eight teams challenging for glory in 2020/21.
And while that may seem a tad ambitious, it’s certainly true the Premier League table is tighter now after nine matches than at any point in recent memory.
An impressive Southampton team rose to the top of English football for the first time in 32 years with a comfortable victory over Newcastle United before the international break. Meanwhile Leicester, champions in 2016, look more dangerous now than at any point since that iconic campaign under Claudio Ranieri.
As it stands, Tottenham are ahead of Liverpool on goal difference after a 2-0 dismantling of Manchester City which was, in many ways, the epitome of ‘vintage Mourinho’.
“(There is) a lot of quality in these squads,” Klopp says ahead of Liverpool’s clash with a discretely dangerous Brighton and Hove Albion side on Saturday.
“They all played a good season so far. (I’m) not surprised Spurs and Chelsea are there. Southampton look really good, Leicester we know about. (It’s a) sign it is all close together this season. An interesting season. A lot of chances.”
Liverpool have suffered more injuries than a Call Of Duty battlefield this season but, even with the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez and Mo Salah absent, a largely second-string team swept aside Leicester 3-0 at Anfield last time out.
More performances like that and back-to-back titles will be a serious possibility.
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