Yep, it's why I fully believe in the mantra that Klopp has been preaching. Next Game.
When it's broken down into small, manageable parts, with complete focus on one thing, then the bigger picture takes care of itself. If he'd walked into that changing room at the start of August and said "Right lads, we need to win at least 30 games this season, and not lose more than 5 of the rest" imagine the pressure they're under immediately. Instead he's said "West Ham, this is what I want you to do" - we win. "Well done, now, eat right, rest right, then do this to beat Palace" - we win. "Great fighting performance lads, lovely late goal Sadio - now, rest, recover and focus on doing this versus X"
You can see this is what the squad's leaders are buying into and believing - Henderson, Milner, Van Dijk, Robbo - all of them are saying and believing it. It's why I don't believe for a second the talk I've seen of people saying they'll be looking at City's results, thinking about points gaps etc - they're just thinking about the next game. I don't think this is easy for a second, and Klopp, the staff, everyone, deserves great credit for getting the squad working consistently in this way.
We can do maths, get excited, look at previous winners and benchmarks etc - but the players - Next game. Next game. Next game.
agreed.
I mentioned it before - I think we, as fans, are allowed to get excited and fantasize about the title. We can dream about it, talk about it, believe we are closer than ever before, all that. We totally can. It's not like we, as fans, decide the outcome of the matches, right? Our influence extends to the boys in the pitch in a very direct, but ultimately not definitive (or quantifiable) way: we can lift them up, we can make our opponents feel nervous or shaken, but in the end, it's those 11 players wearing red that define the result.
And they
have to take the opposite route. They have to be cautious and focused, single-minded and grounded. They have to think only of their next opponent instead of getting carried away. That's what works. That's how it's done.
In my opinion, there's only two main things that can stand in our way (and they're not exactly other teams): complacency and injuries. The first one I'm sure Klopp and his staff are constantly making sure don't take root in our squad, so I'm not completely worried about it. I just know they'll find a way to keep the lads constantly hungry and sharp, and avoid thinking they've already "made it". The second one, on the other hand, is what worries me beyond even our closest rivals - because they're mostly out of our hands (players, manager, supporters). It could happen in training. There could be a bad timed tackle from an opposition player in a "nothing" game. Maybe it's rotten luck in an international break. It
could happen, but... even then, we just have to believe Klopp & co. have a way of making the team not lose focus, and just carry on. Because they have to.
So... what if we end up not winning it? It won't be because of our fantasies and our calculations and our obsessively poring through the fixture list. And yes, it would be heartbreaking and it'd be an awful way of ending the season... but it won't be because of
us. So my thinking is... don't shut yourself off. Don't deprive yourself of the joy, of the exhilaration, of that feeling of tingling throughout your entire body and your heart trying to burst out of your chest when you think these Red Men are on the hunt for 19 - don't deprive yourself of the whole experience, the dreams, the fantasies, the smiles and the glories to come. Don't be overtly cautious. Live. Sing. Shout. Wave your scarf, wear your heart on your sleeve, sing those songs and light that pyro and make the team feel loved and supported every step of the way. Dream and let them make those dreams into reality. You live.
