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Jurgen Klopp believes his title-chasing Liverpool side should be celebrated rather than doubted as he insisted: “No plant grows as quick as expectations here.”

The Reds boss delivered an impassioned defence of his Premier League leaders ahead of Wednesday night's clash with Watford at Anfield.

Klopp says Liverpool have been unfairly criticised for their form since the turn of the year.

They have taken just 12 points out of the last 21 on offer and have seen their lead over Manchester City trimmed to a single point but the manager remains buoyant.

(Image: Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Liverpool's painful 29-year wait for the top-flight crown means that every wobble is magnified in pursuit of the Holy Grail, but Klopp knows that they can't allow that history to be a millstone around their necks.

Asked if that expectation troubled him, Klopp said: “Not a little bit. It's just all around. It's just the situation. I only speak about facts.

“Obviously a lot of teams before us tried to be champion and it didn't work out so it was always the manager or the team or other stuff like that.

We're building up to tonight's huge game against Watford HERE

“There is always a moment when, if we are not 25 points ahead, a season gets tricky. Always. Leicester had that. Chelsea had it.

“Only City last year didn't really have it. Winning 5-0 against us with 10 men changed the season for them. Apart from that it always happens. Barcelona are not fluent in Spain.

“Come on, who believes we won't win a game any more? But immediately they say you have to win all 11 games now! When you hear it, you think 'that's a bit difficult'.

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“Is that really the only chance we have to become champions? I'm not sure. Let's try to win the games we can win with all we have.

“Maybe it will be all 11. That's really difficult but it's possible of course. We'll go for it but we don't think about the next 10 after this one. We are only thinking about one of these.

“One generation has to break through, to make it happen and then for the rest it will be easier. It could be nice if we could be that.”

Plenty of negativity surrounded Liverpool's stalemate with Manchester United on Sunday, but Klopp has urged fans to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

Rather than be consumed by pressure or anxiety, he wants players and supporters alike to embrace the fact they are bang in the title race.

“The development of this team is unbelievable, now you think I praise myself or whatever, but it's unbelievable,” Klopp added.

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“We played three finals. I know in the world outside, finals are nice, all perfect, then you go to them, don't win it and nobody thinks about it.

“But being three times in finals in the last three years, I don't know a lot of teams who have done that.

“We improve constantly in the table, all good, and then the moment we improve it's immediately 'that's not exactly how it was...... what's gone wrong here'. You know it's like this!

“The people around read everything and want to know everything and they think 'yeah, it's not exactly like when we played Roma last year'.

“We are in a good moment, I cannot help if you don't see it. We know about our responsibility and we go for it with all we have.

“This is not our last chance - that's a very important thing. This is our first chance. There's a massive difference.

“With the first chance you jump in and then see if it works out. Sometimes it does, sometimes not. This will not be our last, 100% not.”

Liverpool have certainly struggled for fluency since the turn of the year. They have won just three out of nine games in all competitions but Klopp insists much of the flak has been unjustified.

Asked to assess the Reds' form going into the Watford game, Klopp said: “I am happy with a lot of moments.

“We've had really good games in 2019 and difficult games to play after a really intense period of a brilliant December. Physically, we had some injury problems and came through that pretty well.

“I can't even remember all the results we had but if you only think about the last three games we played after the two draws, and don't forget Leicester was on a really difficult pitch and they defended with all they have, West Ham are a different side to the start of the season, Bournemouth brilliant and Bayern really good.

(Image: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“No plant grows as quick as expectations here. It's from the media as well. It's like you get an eye problem when you have to watch our football now compared to when we played such wonderful football a few weeks ago. Sorry for that disappointment!

“Do other teams perform constantly? They don't. Sometimes they have the result but we don't look at them in detail, we just see they are winning.

“You only have this obsessed look on our football. Yes, there were moments when I wish we would fly a bit more but you don't fly because you want to fly. You fly because you work for it. It all feels like 'that's it now'.”

Klopp didn't look like he was enjoying the ride himself during Sunday's tussle at Old Trafford. He cut an increasingly agitated figure on the touchline.

(Image: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

He was clearly frustrated by Liverpool's failure to make the most of the fact that United were there for the taking.

"I know I didn't look like I enjoyed the second half at United but that's how it is, it's hard work," he said.

"If the mood drops a little bit, I understand it is my job to kick a few asses sometimes. Then after the game it's over and we go again. Use the 95 or 97 minutes to force the situation though, that's what I want.

"I was really happy with a lot of moments and then the final decision was not like we had it before. The situation is new for a lot of people. Last year we fought so hard for the Champions League. Obviously it feels different to fight for the next level.

(Image: Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

"You have to adapt to that but I think the boys adapted really well and now we must make sure our home games are still big, big moments."

Watford have been hammered 6-1 and 5-0 at Anfield in the past two seasons but Klopp believes that patience will be required against Javi Gracia's in-form seventh-placed side.

He added: "If Watford sit deep we will not create every second but still people will think 'again?!'

"We always had to work for it. Why is it such a problem for us to win 1-0? When we win 1-0 we have to explain why we don't fly or score like that year.

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"If we draw we have to explain why we don't win 1-0. Something is always wrong and that is a bit of a problem, but not for us internally.

"We live in a world where it's like 'we could have.... last week, two weeks ago, 12 years ago...', all that stuff, people have all these things in their minds.

"That makes things not easy to enjoy sometimes. But in the next game, big smile on your face and go again, that's the challenge. We did that very often. I can promise we'll go for everything with all we have."