'90 per cent won't be enough against Leicester'
Georginio Wijnaldum has warned that Liverpool must be at their maximum level to claim a result against Leicester City on Monday night.
The Reds travel to the King Power Stadium to face a side who have struggled this season to reproduce the form which secured them a sensational Premier League title triumph last term.
For their part, Wijnaldum and co will approach the game with more than a fortnight’s break behind them and the confidence from an impressive 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield still fresh.
But, looking ahead to the meeting with Leicester – who parted company with manager Claudio Ranieri on Thursday – the midfielder outlined why a ‘100 per cent’ performance is necessary for Jürgen Klopp’s men.
“They still have a good team and it is still difficult to beat them,” Wijnaldum, who is available for the match after a calf injury, told Sky Sports.
“You could see that when they played Manchester City, they had a good game, so they can also win against big teams.
“In the Premier League, almost everyone is difficult to beat; it depends on how you begin a game and how you play in the game.
“Now they are at the bottom of the league, but everyone knows they can do better than what they show right now. They showed it last season, so it is difficult to say where they really stand.”
He continued: “One thing is for sure, they are a good team and a difficult team to beat and that is something we must keep in mind. We cannot win this game on 90 per cent, we have to give 100 per cent to win this game.
“We are running out of games now and the teams at the bottom of the league want every chance to collect points to stay safe.
“So that can be different to if you had played them at an earlier stage. I think they will fight more now to collect points to be safe earlier.”
While leaders Chelsea are clear at the summit of the Premier League, only four points separate the five clubs behind them in the table, with Liverpool currently fifth.
The target for Klopp’s charges in their remaining 13 fixtures is clear – to secure a Champions League qualification spot at the expense of their rivals.
Wijnaldum believes the way to make that ambition a reality is to be wholly preoccupied with the Reds’ own form and not look too far ahead.
“We are in a competition where there are five, six, seven teams who can finish in the first four,” said the Netherlands international.
“You have to look at it game by game, and do it step by step, and then in the end you will see where you are standing.
“If you think that far ahead about the first four, or to be champions, that is something you cannot control. You can control the training and then the performance will come game by game, and do not think that far ahead.”