Jurgen Klopp has admitted Newcastle United were 'better' than Liverpool this season - but the Reds boss has warned his side will be back to 'normal' when the new campaign gets under way.
Newcastle finished four points clear of Liverpool in fourth place as the Magpies qualified for the Champions League for the first time in more than 20 years. That represents a remarkable swing after Newcastle finished a whopping 43 points behind Liverpool in the previous campaign.
However, there has been no back-patting at Newcastle. Eddie Howe's attention has quickly turned to next season after his side clinched their place at Europe's top table because 'a lot of our success next year will be down to what I do now'.
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As well as bringing in elite additions, Howe has told his players that they will 'have to improve quickly' because other clubs that 'did not have the season they wanted will come back fighting'. These sides include Chelsea, who Howe has predicted will be a 'big threat' under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, while Klopp has been re-energised following Liverpool's strong finish to the season.
"We are very disappointed about the fact that we didn't make it to the top four, but there are moments where you have to admit that there were four teams better than us," the Liverpool boss told reporters. "That's the truth.
"We played a bad season and came fifth. That is a message as well. Imagine we are our normal selves, which we absolutely will be again next season. We will be a contender again - that's how it is. The last 10, 11 games helped us to realise that again."
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