Jurgen Klopp tries best to keep heat off title-chasing Liverpool

Liverpool 1 Manchester City 0

But, at the end of a convincing, if not exhilarating, Liverpool performance, the extrovert German can no longer ignore the irrefutable evidence that his team are the main, if not only, challengers to Chelsea’s seemingly inevitable march towards the 2017 Premier League title.

Despite his touchline histrionics, there has surely never been a more laid-back title-bidding manager than Klopp, two times a champion in his time in Germany with Borussia Dortmund.

Talking down a team’s prospects is, of course, part of modern football management, a knee-jerk counter balance to any potential accusations of underachievement.

But when a club like Liverpool has been experiencing a barren period such as their current 27-year wait for a league title, Klopp can be sure that his adoring Merseyside public are as enthusiastic about their new year potential as their manager pretends not to be.

“I have no idea,” said Klopp when asked how many teams could be considered contenders.

“I don’t think about it.

“I won a league twice and I honestly didn’t think about the opportunity until really late in the season.

“We have targets. We are ambitious.

“You saw how ambitious the boys are but talking about it doesn’t bring you one point. You have to work.

“When you see the final line and if you are still in and around then the pressure will increase.

“You could see the pressure here — not because we didn’t want to lose the game but because we wanted to win it.

“That is really pressure against a very good side. You do the analysis and think ‘Oh my God I don’t want to show the boys all of this because they are a really good side’.

“I know there is criticism of their defending or whatever but they play some of the best football in the world and you have to defend it. We did it. I’m happy with our situation in the table at the moment but I don’t care who is around.”

In light of Klopp’s respect for City’s attacking talents, the fact his team scored their goal after only eight minutes, through a magnificent Georginio Wijnaldum bullet header, must have caused the 49-year-old German even more anxiety.

Yet as well as Liverpool defended, City’s usually slick attacking force never clicked out of second gear — former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling, booed every time he touched the ball, a particular disappointment.

It was a defeat that left City 10 points behind Chelsea, and Liverpool a more modest six, although asking Klopp to analyse the state of the Premier League nation was a futile exercise.

“I don’t want to think about it,” he said.

“If we have the possibility when we can see the line then we can talk about it. Until then it is not important. I have no idea.

“Of course it would help if we win 14 games in a row like Chelsea, then we can look at the table again, but life is not like this.

“It will not stay like this for Chelsea until the end of the season and they know it. Of course, they are strong but I don’t think about their situation until three or four weeks when we play them.

“Then I will think about them a lot.”

What now for Guardiola and City? It is safe to say that such a lacklustre start to the season — domestically at least — was not part of the owners’ master plan for world domination when they finally succeeded in their long-standing goal of attracting him to east Manchester.

Klopp, remember, has been at Liverpool less than 15 months and has a net spend of £6.46m, as opposed to City’s £151.27m in the same period.

Nearly six months into the Guardiola era, when will City start to look like the Catalan’s team?

“I don’t know, I’m not able to tell you that. I don’t know,” said Guardiola.

“Jurgen is here more than one season, more than one year. I’ve been here just six months and the way we want to play in the league is not that simple.

“We need a little bit more time but I’m a guy who is so optimistic and we’re going to try.

“Yes normally I was top. I was there a lot of times with Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But, okay, this is a new chapter in my career to handle that and I am willing to try it.

“I was one time in Barcelona nine points behind against Real Madrid. And after we recovered. I won a league being 12 points behind and after we won. But the question is are we able to reduce the gap to Chelsea?

“Now we have to focus on the next game and not put a lot of stress on things by saying, ‘Oh, if you don’t win the Premier League, wow, that’s not going to be a good season’.

“We are going to analyse what happens at the end of the season with our people — that was good, that was bad — but now it’s about focusing on the next game which is Burnley.”

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 6; Clyne 7, Lovren 7, Klavan 7, Milner 9; Wijnaldum 7, Henderson 7 (Origi 64, 5), Can 8; Mane 6 (Lucas 89), Firmino 6, Lallana 7.

Subs not used: Karius, Sturridge, Moreno, Ejaria, Alexander-Arnold.

MANCESTER CITY (4-2-3-1): Bravo 5; Zabaleta 5 (Navas 86), Stones 7, Otamendi 6, Kolarov 5; Toure 7 (Iheanacho 89), Fernandinho7; Sterling 5, De Bruyne 6, Silva 6; Aguero 5.

Subs not used: Caballero, Sagna, Fernando, Clichy, Garcia.

Referee: C Pawson 7