Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged his side to "squeeze something out of this season" as they attempt to finish 2020-21 in strong fashion. (More Football News)
The Premier League champions are seventh in the table on 46 points, a remarkable 36 fewer than they had amassed after the same number of matches last term.
With nine games to go, the race is on for the Reds as they attempt to close the five-point gap to the top four, starting with Saturday's clash with ninth-place Arsenal.
Liverpool claimed back-to-back wins over Wolves and RB Leipzig in the Champions League prior to the international break, a positive change after a run of nine defeats and just five wins in 17 games in all competitions.
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Klopp is now targeting a strong 'mini-season' to give his side the best chance of a successful end to a difficult campaign.
"There's a lot to go for," he told Sky Sports. "We're not in the best position to fight for the Champions League spots but it's clear we'll fight for it and if not then for the other European spots.
"It's our job and that's what we want. We want to be as successful as possible. At the beginning of the season, we had different targets which is normal but we're now here in our reality and the position is not as bad as it could've been so we're going to try everything to squeeze something out of this season.
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"There are other teams in better positions, so we have to make sure that we can chase them but whether that's possible or not will be decided in the specific games, like on Saturday against Arsenal. We don't have many points to waste anymore and a tough programme coming up. When you're in the situation we're in, you've not got a lot to lose as well so let's go for it."
Klopp hopes to see something of the old Liverpool against Arsenal, who have lost just one of their past nine home league matches and claimed a 2-1 victory in this fixture at Emirates Stadium last season.
"Arsenal are a good team," he said. "They've had good runs this season and other times when it's not been going so well. But they have now found their way and Martin Odegaard is playing well.
"With [Granit] Xhaka and Thomas Partey in midfield, that's a proper double six, they have a last line full of experience and full-backs with desire to go. They're a good football team so we're going to have to defend at the highest level.
"If we do that, then we can create and we can score. But we must again be the team that nobody wants to play against. I believe we can be that."
