Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has made a big statement about West Ham but gets it all wrong ahead of this weekend’s clash.
The Hammers welcome Liverpool to the London Stadium with both trying to rescue fading Premier League hopes.
West Ham look to have thrown away a glorious opportunity to qualify for Europe for a fourth consecutive season.
Meanwhile Liverpool’s title challenge has faded after defeats to Palace and Everton of late.
Both clubs were knocked out in the quarter-final of the Europa League.
West Ham and Liverpool trying to save their seasons
For this game at least David Moyes and Jurgen Klopp still have plenty to play for if they can rally their players.
Although a tall order, results elsewhere mean West Ham can reignite their hopes of a European spot with an unlikely win over Liverpool.
The Reds will also need to win their remaining games and hope Man City and Arsenal slip up.
Klopp is leaving Liverpool this summer and Moyes is now expected to depart West Ham. So this could, in theory, be the last time the two meet.
The German has been speaking ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s clash.
And Liverpool boss Klopp has made a big statement about West Ham but gets it all wrong.
Klopp’s big statement about West Ham is all wrong
Klopp reckons West Ham will be ‘rubbing their hands’ about playing Liverpool following their performance – and likely title surrender – in the 2-0 defeat at Everton.
Especially as West Ham will have had five-and-a-half days of recovery compared to Liverpool’s two-and-a-half.
“We have to recover because the quickest of all turnarounds is waiting for us,” Klopp said on the club’s official site.
“You can imagine that will be now a challenge obviously mentally and physically. Physically, it was clear. If you win a game then the mental turnaround is obviously not a massive problem, but we have now both things to do.
“And probably West Ham is waiting and rubbing their hands and hoping that we come there on one leg. But I will try absolutely everything to make sure we are much more ourselves than we were tonight.”
Klopp’s clearly getting his excuses in early.
Hammers look shot not excited
But nobody is falling for it. Because West Ham are not rubbing their hands together about playing anybody at the moment.
A pathetic four wins in 21 games in all competitions for the Hammers tells you that much.
Not to mention the fact West Ham have failed to keep a clean sheet for 14 Premier League games, their worst run since 2020.
Klopp knows what he’s doing here.
But anyone who watched West Ham’s recent matches against Fulham and Palace will know this team is – unfortunately – done for the season.
Obviously we hope the manager and players will go out and prove that statement wrong.
Regardless of our hopes for the game, though, West Ham are not a club raring to go right now.
Any doubts about that, just watch how miserable the players look in the training video below ahead of Saturday’s game.