Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp denies his players are "mentally drained" going into their clash at Chelsea tomorrow.
Klopp was shocked by his side's display in defeat at Leicester City, but he does not believe it was the product of his players feeling worn down by trying to go stride for stride with Manchester City.
"It's not mentally draining," said Klopp. "We are used to it. You asked us two years ago when we were ahead, you said, 'Oh no! City are able to do ridiculous things!'
"When City were champions (in 2019) we both won the last 15 games pretty much. So it's not mentally draining — it's the situation. We want to have that competition, it's all fine. City are there to beat, but to do that you have to be perfect.
"If you are not perfect, you have to hope City are not perfect and that's pretty much a passive role, which I don't like much.
"You can see already it is getting much more exciting for you. The last few press conferences we always talked about the same things.
"Now, because we lost one game, you see how the focus changes — not for us but for the outside world. Thank God we are not open to the outside world, it means we are here together and allow ourselves to stay positive and deal with all the difficulties we face."
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