Barcelona and Real Madrid would find Premier League tough, says Klopp

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp believes Barcelona
and Real Madrid would find it difficult to cope with
the intensity of the Premier League.
The 49-year-old has the Reds, third in the table
with four games remaining, on track for Champions
League qualification in his first full season in
England's top flight.
Liverpool had looked set to mount a title challenge
when they won 13 of their first 19 matches, but a
run of one victory in seven at the start of 2017
brought those hopes to an end.
Klopp, who lifted successive Bundesliga titles with
Borussia Dortmund, claims the difficulty of
England's top flight would even be felt by Spain's
powerhouse clubs.
"Even for the great Spanish teams, it would be
difficult to win the Premier League," he told Marca.
"Of course, Madrid and Barca would be fighting for
everything, but it would be very difficult.
"In the Premier League, nothing is certain. The
intensity is very high and many things can happen
in matches. There's not a single game where you
can win 4-0 comfortably and rest your first XI. It
doesn't exist in the Premier League. It's not
possible in the Bundesliga, either, unless you're
Bayern [Munich].
"Chelsea are having a great season but there are
many games where they have won 1-0 and had to
defend until the end. I've experienced two leagues
and I can say that this one is really tough. Ask Pep
[Guardiola of Manchester City], he'll say the same!
"We're up there, fighting for the Champions League
positions, but I can say: five more points, and
everything would look different. There are a few
games left and we'll fight to the utmost."
Klopp remains confident Liverpool can win their
first title since 1990 under his guidance, however.
"Of course. It's always possible. Is it likely? I don't
know, but it's possible and that's enough for me,"
he said. "There are several teams that fight for the
title each season and maybe, at this moment, some
have more chances than us, but I'm not interested
in that.
"That's the key to this job: to find the right
solutions for the problems that are presented to
you. The goal is to win a competition but the fight
is already exciting."
Klopp went on to reveal that he feels a positive
atmosphere among his players is key and
highlighted Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as an
example of why talent is not always enough to
succeed.
"I don't try to be nice every minute of the day," he
said. "I tell them things when it's necessary. I like
to be their friend, but not their best friend. A friend
tells you things clearly at the right time.
"I always tell a footballer that 50 per cent of their
success is my responsibility and 50 per cent is
theirs. I always say that I don't know if he's a great
player until I know if he's a good or bad type. He
can be a genius but if he only helps me three times
a year and in the rest of the games, creates
problems for me...
"I use the example of Cristiano and [Lionel] Messi.
Cristiano fascinates everyone, but I'm sure he
works harder than anyone else."

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