Klopp urged Liverpool players to do better after last season, says Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool claimed 97 points in the Premier League in 2018-19, but fell one short of eventual champion Manchester City in an enthralling title race.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has praised the character within Liverpool's squad.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain revealed Jurgen Klopp's message to his Liverpool players was simple after falling short in the Premier League last season.

Liverpool claimed 97 points in the Premier League in 2018-19, but fell one short of eventual champion Manchester City in an enthralling title race.

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It responded by winning 27 of 29 games this league season, opening up a 25-point lead before the campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Oxlade-Chamberlain said Klopp simply told his players they needed to do more despite their strong campaign last season.

"You can look at it two ways. You can look at it in the sense of, how do you get 97 points and finish off second best? That, mentally for the lads, I think was a big challenge. You almost can't get a more perfect season," he told Premier League Productions.

"You might have, you know, the season before City obviously got 100 points. So we're talking one game, one win difference – you expect to win with that. So, I think first of all it was sort of another heightened respect for Man City as a team, to go 100 points and then 98 back to back, that takes a lot of doing.

"Mentally, as a group of players, I think that's maybe where we thought, 'Alright, 97 points not good enough' and I remember the manager saying we've got to do more. Simple as that.

"He was adamant that's not enough, you've got to do more, and I think it's a credit to us in what we've done so far this season, the boys are doing more and obviously this is a strange time because you talk about momentum and that's the same for every team at the minute, but it's not finished yet. We're close but we're not finished yet, but up to this point we are doing more."

Oxlade-Chamberlain praised the character within Liverpool's squad, which is aiming to win the club's first league title since 1990.

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"There's not one ego in that team. Our superstars are the hardest working, the most humble and the most relatable guys in the team. Along with industry and the relationship that everyone has, I think that makes it easier for us all to pull in the right direction," he said.

"At the minute we've been doing that but whenever we're able to kick off again we've got a job to finish so we can't get carried away yet."