The Liverpool boss was honest about how his team played in the 1-1 tie at the Etihad Stadium.

The boss says he is still not sure what his new team is really capable of as the Reds grind out a respectable win over Pep Guardiola’s team.

While Klopp agrees that there were parts of the game he didn’t like, the Reds boss wasn’t in the mood to be too harsh on his players after winning at the English and European champions in a 12.30 p.m. kickoff right after the international break. He said he had learned a lot instead.

It was Klopp who said, “I think we passed a test today for us.” “That makes sense, but I’m not sure if that was “the” test. In a business setting where time is limited, it can be hard to ask for and use it.

Last year, we had a team that played together for a lot longer than this club does now. This year, we completely fell apart and lost this game.” Today we had a chance.

“I’m not joking; City had the best chance of winning the game without a doubt.” We have had our moments, though, and have beaten City in games where we didn’t have as many chances to respond. If we had used those chances better, it would have been very interesting.

Klopp said, “We want to be ready to give them a proper game, and that’s what we did today.” “So we don’t check to see if we’re better than City.” I didn’t think the piece was done when I saw us; that’s just not how I saw it.

There were a lot of shows I saw that I didn’t like. This week has been very hard, but even though the effort wasn’t great, the attitude was great. What do you think about that? You should come back after ten days with only one training lesson.

“That’s why I’m not here to argue that we should have done something different.” That’s how we’ll move forward; I’ll take what we have and work from there.

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Liverpool need to be wary of a Mohamed Salah problem that’s on the horizon, although manager Jürgen Klopp doesn’t yet know just how big an impact it will have.

Liverpool’s performance against Manchester City at the weekend underlined its very real title credentials this season. Jürgen Klopp’s side wasn’t spectacular, but it was a good match for Man City, the best team in the world right now, in general play, and that in itself is an indication that it is capable of competing for the top honors.

The mood at the club is unsurprisingly optimistic right now, with Klopp and his players surpassing expectations in a season where the primary objective was supposed to be Champions League qualification.

The Reds will fancy their chances of winning silverware elsewhere too, having booked a Carabao Cup quarter-final date with West Ham next month and won three of their first four Europa League matches.

They can book direct passage to the round of 16 on Thursday if they beat LASK at Anfield and Toulouse fails to win against Union SG.

However, Klopp must also be wary of a problem that’s creeping into view as the days and weeks pass. In January, Mohamed Salah, arguably the team’s most important player, will head to the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.

The group stages begin in the Ivory Coast on January 13 and run until January 24, with the round of 16 underway three days later and lasting until the 30th.

The quarter-finals follow on February 2 and 3, before both semi-finals take place on the seventh and the third-place play-off then precedes the final on the 10th and 11th.

While Egypt reached the final of the last edition, losing out to Senegal, it is not one of the front-runners this time around. Senegal, Algeria, Cameroon, host Ivory Coast and World Cup semi-finalist Morocco are all more widely fancied. Still, when you have Salah, you have a chance.

The winger’s last Premier League game before he’s called up will be against Newcastle on New Year’s Day, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be available for the FA Cup third round the following weekend. If Liverpool is given a favorable draw, he may be afforded a rest to ensure he’s in peak condition for the tournament.

If Liverpool beats West Ham and reaches the League Cup semi-finals, then Salah will almost certainly be out of action for the first leg, which is penciled in either January 9 or 10. Egypt doesn’t begin its campaign until January 14, but it will want its group training together beforehand.

Klopp will be glad to see the winter break reinstated for the following weekend, allowing all of his players a rest and mitigating the impact of Salah’s absence. But he knows the 31-year-old will definitely miss the trip to Bournemouth on January 21, as well as a potential semi-final second leg later that week.

Depending on Egypt’s progress and Liverpool’s fortunes, the club could subsequently be without him for the FA Cup fourth round (on the weekend of January 27) and the Premier League games against Chelsea (January 31), title rival Arsenal (February 3) and Burnley (February 10).

If Liverpool finishes second in its Europa League group, which is unlikely but possible, it will be in playoff action on February 15. Should Egypt reach the final, the trip to Brentford the following weekend appears the likeliest date for Salah’s return.

At this stage, Salah is only guaranteed to be absent for one match, but then it could theoretically be as many as 12 if FA Cup replays come into the equation too. The uncertainty is unnerving.

Liverpool could, of course, suffer without his goal-scoring prowess — he’s netted 12 times in his 18 appearances so far this term, four more than anybody else in the squad — but it’s worth stressing his value as a creator too.

As per November 11, only Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (25.63) had assisted a higher percentage of his team’s xG than Salah (20.96), via The Analyst.

It is, of course, far from the only hurdle Klopp and co. will have to navigate if they’re to be in the title race this season. But it already looks like one of the biggest.