The final day of the Premier League comes on Sunday, and there is a fascinating added dimension to the title battle between Liverpool and Manchester City.
With Liverpool a point behind in the table, they realistically need to beat Wolves at Anfield and hope City slip up at home against Aston Villa.
The added intrigue comes from the fact that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is in charge of Villa. Having never won a Premier League title in his playing career, Gerrard could help his former team to claim a second title in three years if Aston Villa can claim a result at the Etihad on Sunday.
Speaking in Friday's press conference, Jurgen Klopp said that Gerrard will take the game "100% seriously", and suggested that his relationship with Liverpool will give him "extra motivation".
Liverpool boss Klopp speaks on Steven Gerrard influence on title battle
The Premier League title race has gone down to the wire once again between Liverpool and Manchester City. With the League Cup and FA Cup already won, and a Champions League final coming up next Saturday, Liverpool are chasing an historic quadruple. City, however, are in pole position. They sit a point ahead at the top of the table, with a superior goal difference, and will be desperate to claim the last silverware on offer for them this season.
Steven Gerrard may be able to help his old club out on Sunday and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was inevitably asked about Gerrard's potential influence on the final day.
🗣 “Stevie [Gerrard] will take it 100% serious without me calling him.”
Jürgen Klopp says if he was in Steven Gerrard’s position then he would have extra motivation to get something against Manchester City. pic.twitter.com/oaLSyeYIab— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 20, 2022
Klopp said that he had to use a personal example to relate to Gerrard's situation - but said that if he could have assisted in a similar manner in a title battle for his former clubs Borussia Dortmund or Mainz, it would have been "extra motivation".
I can understand these kinds of situations only by thinking of myself in that role. If I would play a game and could help Dortmund, or could help Mainz, that would make for me extra motivation. But I don't play, and Stevie doesn't play. That's a shame - much more a shame that Stevie is not playing than that I'm not playing!
All human beings have these kinds of things...Stevie will take it 100% seriously without me calling him or whatever, I don't have to. The rest of the club [at Liverpool] probably did it already, but I didn't!
He plays to win, and Aston Villa plays to win.
But it's a difficult place to go. City is like this - if you go there and you don't play to 100% they will get five or six, easily. If you are fully there, you have a chance to get a result, how it always is in football. This is the game I'm not concerned about and that I'm not thinking about at all.
I speak already for too long about this game - it's complete disrespect to Wolverhampton Wanderers as well, because they are exactly the same. They don't come here and want to be a part of our celebrations - they come here and want to win and get three points. We have to be ready for this game and not for the other one.
The presence of Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa certainly adds some spice to a dramatic title battle. After Liverpool's win over Southampton on Tuesday night, captain Jordan Henderson suggested he may even give his old teammate a call ahead of the final day.
Just last week, Liverpool needed a comeback at Villa Park to overcome Gerrard's team.
"Mané does what Mané does best!" 🔥
Liverpool turn things around at Villa Park! pic.twitter.com/un417b3GKn— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 10, 2022
Gerrard just missed out on playing under Klopp, leaving Liverpool mere months before the German manager arrived in 2015. He won several major honours at Liverpool, including two FA Cup titles and the 2001 UEFA Cup. Most famously, he played a pivotal role in the club's comeback in the 2005 Champions League final.
A Premier League title evaded him during his playing career, however. It would surely be a sweet moment if he could help Liverpool to the title - but he will be focused first and foremost on his own team at Aston Villa.
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