Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is delighted his players have finally been able to show some of their best form before the end of the season.
An inconsistent campaign has left the Reds with only an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League and only a run of six successive victories – their best sequence in over a year – has put them in that position.
“We play a really bad season, I think everyone in this room agrees, and now we have 62 points. It is strange,” said Klopp ahead of Monday’s trip to Leicester.
“There is still quality in the boys. I am really happy we could show up a little bit. Where it will end up it’s really not about that.
“I know everyone wants to go to Champions League, I understand that 100 per cent as that’s what I want, it is just not really likely, that is the situation we created.
“But to show up and show again we are able to do special things I am really happy about.
“Winning six games in a row is special and if it was easy we would have done it much more often, other teams would have done it much more often.
“Adding the seventh is even more difficult but eight and nine really difficult because it is football and other teams prepare well for the games and they have their own targets but this part of the season gave us a clear sign we are still there.
“Not everything is bad about us and around us. We had a bad season but let’s see what we can make of it.”
Part of Liverpool’s problem has been their woeful away record, which is only the ninth-best heading into the weekend.
It has been boosted by recent wins at Leeds and West Ham which has given Klopp’s side the opportunity to win a third in a row away from home for the first time this season at Leicester.
“Our away record is still not brilliant. This season I think we are third or fourth (they are second before this weekend) in the home table and ‘somewhere’ in the away table so it is still not great,” added Klopp.
“But we had that discussion years ago, early when I came here, that at home we created something like a fortress but away we were not a top-six or top-four team at that time and we realised it is not that difficult, the difference is not as big as we might think.
“But there is a difference and we have to make sure we are ready for that. We just were not consistent enough, we needed too much help from the outside in moments this season and didn’t use it then always. That’s why we are in the position we are in.”
While the lack of Champions League football will be financially damaging next season Klopp is confident it will not impact his transfer plans.
“It is not about that. When I talk to a player – if I am allowed, which is rarely the case – but you realise in his eye that he has already clarified (the situation),” he said.
“We can’t tell anyone in the moment that we will definitely be in the Champions League next year so if we are talking to him then he already knows.
“It is obvious that we have to fight for being part of the Champions League and trophies and if you want to be part of that you are more than welcome.
“There is only one thing we can’t guarantee this year and that is Champions League football but all the rest is still the same, it is a fantastic football club.
“It is still Liverpool, we are really attractive for a lot of players and we should not forget that and that’s why I’m not concerned about that factor.
“Everything is more difficult without the Champions League, that is how it is especially in the long term, so we should not do these kind of things more often but apart from that it is absolutely OK the situation we are in.”
Manchester City's success is "not boring" or purely determined by financial reasons, head coach Pep Guardiola insists.
The Citizens are on the hunt for an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title, and could become the first team to win back-to-back doubles should they also prevail in the FA Cup final later this month.
Once again, City appear to be hitting form at just the right time, winning each of their last four matches by an aggregate scoreline of 15-1.
Guardiola's side are a point behind leaders Arsenal heading into the final week of the campaign, and will leapfrog the Gunners should they win their game in hand against Tottenham.
But the Spaniard rejected the claim City's success is becoming too predictable - or that it is down to the money they have spent - believing other teams would have lifted more silverware than his side had that been the case.
"It's not boring," he said. "It's difficult. Before, it was the money. For that reason, Manchester United should have won all the titles, Chelsea - all the titles, Arsenal - all the titles.
"They spent as much money in the last five years as us. They should be there. They are not there.
"For that reason, Girona shouldn’t be in the Champions League [next season] and Leicester should win the Premier League."
City will take a giant step towards that fourth straight Premier League crown with victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Tuesday.
While Guardiola admits the achievement was not at the forefront of his squad's intentions at the beginning of the campaign, he is well aware of it's significance.
"In the beginning of the season, we didn't think about it," he added. "But then we were in February, March and April, we were still there [in the title race]. After that, it ignites something in all our heads.
"No team has done it. That shows how hard it is. Liverpool in the 1980s, Alex Ferguson's [Manchester] United in the 1990s. Chelsea with [Roman] Abramovich and Jose [Mourinho], Arsenal with [Arsene] Wenger didn't do it."
Klopp laments late lapse as Liverpool fail to see out win
Jurgen Klopp was lamented his side's late mistake as Liverpool gave up a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 with Aston Villa in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds were on top after a quick start as Emiliano Martinez gifted them an opener inside the first 61 seconds. Though Youri Tielemans equalised for Villa, Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah put Liverpool back in control.
Jhon Duran scored twice late on, netting in the 85th and 88th minutes to deny Klopp’s side three points.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the German admitted that though they could not see out the win, he was proud of his team’s performance.
He said: "It got away from us. We played really good football. We were really good, played a lot of good stuff and caused a lot of problems.
"Before we changed, we gave them too many chances. It was very intense for the boys. They created too much. They were too often in our box, and we made the changes. Then we made a mistake. It happens but in that moment, it opens the door.
"They scored an equaliser, and I don't even know how. The character from the boys tonight was outstanding in our situation. We wanted to win the game. In the moment, when we gave away the 3-2, that was really tricky. That's it, that's the story of the game."
It looked like Quansah’s goal would be the winner for much of the second half, with the young defender heading in his first goal for Liverpool.
"I've been waiting for that moment," he told the BBC. "I don't score too many goals, so when it goes in the back of the net you just saw the emotion come out I guess.
"I just tried to get the best contact on it as I could. I'm thankful it went in.
"The way the crowd celebrated was a surreal moment, definitely one I'll never forget."
Emery praises 'special' Duran in Villa comeback
Unai Emery has praised "special" Jhon Duran after his late brace secured Aston Villa a point in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Monday.
The Reds looked to be on their way to a 3-1 despite Youri Tielemans’ strike after Cody Gakpo and Jarell Quansah added to Emiliano Martinez’s early own goal.
However, Duran's 79th-minute introduction changed the game as the Colombian scored twice in three minutes to salvage a draw.
Villa needed a win to secure a Champions League spot, but a point keeps their fate in their own hands despite Tottenham having a game in hand against Manchester City on Tuesday.
Emery was full of praise for his forward, acknowledging how important his goals could be by Sunday.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "Jhon Duran is a special player. We have to try and help him. He is a good guy, and he needs a team behind him. He is getting our demands better. He was very clinical and today was important for him.
"Today we are celebrating with our supporters, we have to push it and keep working and be consistent. We were consistent all the season. The team was being mature and always consistent in our mind. Inch by inch we did it.
"We are very proud of the season. It is not enough at the moment to get fourth. Even after we scored the two goals, we had chances. We are celebrating the season here with our supporters in Villa Park.
"We are only thinking of us. We will prepare for our match on Sunday, everything is in our hands."
Villa were on a three-game losing run going into the Liverpool contest, and John McGinn highlighted the team’s strong mentality to avoid another defeat.
"It's a brilliant effort towards the end. We got a bit of luck. It's been a tough few weeks with lads coming back and playing through the pain barrier. This place got us going," he told Sky Sports after the game.
"There's some of us that have never been close to the Champions League in our life. The manager has a no-excuse mentality. People have written us off and we've floated under the radar. We'll have our Man City tops on tomorrow.
"Big Jhon [Duran] is a bit nuts and is a nightmare to have in your team, but he's got quality. We need to keep his feet on the ground over the next couple of days."
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