Liverpool can't afford to waste points, Jurgen Klopp says

Jurgen Klopp reacts after the Uefa Champions League match between Liverpool and AC Milan. Getty Images

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not surprised by the fine starts of their Premier League rivals and said on Friday that dropping points was not an option in another fiercely competitive season.

Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool occupy the top three places in the league after the opening four games, with champions Manchester City in fifth.

“I am not too much in the other teams' situations, but it's a good start for us,” Klopp said in the build-up to Liverpool's game against Crystal Palace on Saturday.

“We've played some good football but if you want to be around the really top spots, you have to, and you cannot waste points. That's how it is. We just keep going. I'm not surprised by other teams' results.”

Liverpool will rotate their squad for what will be their third game in a week, with Klopp saying that his players had done well to come through a gruelling seven days, during which they beat Leeds United in the league and came back from 2-1 down to beat AC Milan in their Champions League opener.

“We spoke about the schedule, this one is normal for us, three games a week … is a tough one so you have to think about this … we'll make changes again, that's clear,” he said.

Klopp confirmed that striker Roberto Firmino remains sidelined due to a hamstring injury but hinted that centre back Virgil van Dijk, who was rested against Milan, could feature against Palace.

“If you like, we're still in extended preseason for [Van Dijk]. I don't want to talk about injuries, but Ibou [Ibrahima Konate], Joe [Gomez], Joel [Matip] all have had injuries. Now we just make sure we have a proper pair on the pitch.”

Klopp praised Palace's strength up front, saying that new boss Patrick Vieira had made a big difference and turned them into “a proper football side".

Palace, who beat Tottenham Hotspur last week to give Vieira his first win, are 11th in the league standings.