Jurgen Klopp: Three cup finals and title push should not be possible in one term

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Jurgen Klopp: Three Cup Finals And Title Push Should Not Be Possible In One Term
Having won both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup on penalties, the Reds are still in with a chance of pipping Manchester City to the Premier League. © PA Wire/PA Images
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By Carl Markham, PA

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits three cup finals and a title challenge should not be possible in one season.

Having won both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup on penalties against Chelsea at Wembley, the Reds head into the final match of the domestic season still in with a chance of pipping Manchester City to the Premier League.

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There is still a Champions League final to come a week later and Klopp said if someone had suggested back in August that was how their season would pan out, he would have laughed at them.

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“Imagine somebody tells you before the season, you’re going to be in all three cup finals and want to fight for the league,” he said ahead of the visit of Wolves.

“You would say ‘Yeah, good luck with that’. It’s actually not possible but the boys did it – fed by the people here in the building (training ground), by our supporters, by all these kind of things.

“It has been tough but great. It’s absolutely a joy to be part of it. Being part of this group is exceptional. By the group, I mean not only the players, we are here in the building of the group. It’s insane.

“Working together with these people is a pure joy. Being where we are is so rare, you cannot plan it.

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Liverpool celebrate at Wembley
Liverpool have beaten Chelsea in the league and FA Cup finals this season (Nick Potts/PA)

“It’s a fantastic time for a Liverpool supporter and now we have to make sure we enjoy the last two games as well.

“The most enjoyable thing in football is winning football games, that makes everything much easier.

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“Two massive games to come, one directly on Sunday, and we have to make sure we are ready for that.”

Part of the key to the success is how well the squad has bonded and contributed at various times in the season.

Early in the campaign the likes of Takumi Minamino and Divock Origi were key players in the cup competitions, although since the turn of the year, their involvement has been limited.

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They came to the fore again in the midweek win at Southampton when Klopp had no option but to rest all but two of his players who had featured in 120 minutes and a penalty shootout at Wembley the previous Saturday.

And that willingness to engage and step up is what has kept the Liverpool bandwagon rolling.

“The boys bought completely in this project, definitely, 100 per cent. The boys accept the decisions, that’s why they play like they play,” Klopp added.

“I have to make decisions in the end and that’s what I did for the whole season and now they would start arguing, moaning or whatever – it would not happen and will never happen, for sure not this year.

“That’s what made it happen, that’s why we are where we are.

“I have to make sports decisions and the rest we deal with each other in a specific way and obviously we have a lot of respect for each other and like each other and everybody bought in.

“We want to be as successful as possible and I have to make a few decisions and that’s it.”

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