Klopp backs Arsenal as title challengers for the Premier League

Jurgen Klopp believes Arsenal are among five teams capable of challenging Liverpool for Premier League glory this season.

Arsenal recorded their worst finish since 1994/95 last season by finishing a lowly eighth-place in the Premier League table, and 43 points behind champions Liverpool.

Things improved, however, the moment Mikel Arteta replaced Unai Emery in the dugout last December. Despite his lack of experience, the 38-year-old inspired a great turnaround in form. The Gunners proceeded to win a record 14th FA Cup title, securing qualification for Europa League football in the process.

Arteta later oversaw a Community Shield triumph over Liverpool on penalties in late August, making it two wins out of two against Klopp ahead of Monday’s showdown in the Premier League.

The Reds boss, therefore, isn’t taking Arsenal for granted in this season’s title battle despite the vast gap between the clubs last season. He expects an ‘open race’ with Manchester City, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Tottenham also in the mix.

“They came eighth because they did not have time to sort the situation,” said Klopp as quoted on Yahoo while alluding to the fact that Arteta hadn’t been appointed until mid-season in 2019/20.

“They were not the eighth-best team in the league, they could’ve qualified easily for Europe [via the league], if not even the Champions League.

“The Premier League and these teams are too good, you can’t decide the season before it starts. It just doesn’t work like this.

“Man City, I think maybe people thought they could have some struggles at Wolves because Wolves are really good…and in the second half they could have got a point.

“Nobody is safe from this kind of thing, so we have to work incredibly hard. And over the other teams we have no influence. When we face them, we want to beat them.

“It’s an open race, Chelsea will be there, [Manchester] United will be there, Arsenal, Tottenham – these teams will always be there.

“There are tough moments for us and other teams and it’s about how you react and are you doing it in the right way.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to go through a lot of moments. I don’t know why today we talk about winning the league, I have no idea who will win but I know a lot of teams will try.”