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Cape Town - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has warned the club's fans about qualifying for the Champions League, saying participation in Europe's elite club competition comes with its own unique set of problems.
The Reds haven't featured in the Champions League since the 2014/15 season, when they couldn't advance past the group stage, but find themselves with a good chance of qualifying this time around.
While England's representatives in the competition were regulars in the final stages of the competition a decade ago, in recent times Premier League teams have struggled in Europe, with only two sides reaching the Champions League semi-finals over the last five years.
During an interview with Sport1, the former Borussia Dortmund boss feels the pace at which the game is being played in England hinders their chances when pitted against Europe's elite.
"That English clubs have not performed that well in the Champions League is also down to the increasing intensity of the league," Klopp said.
"The competition (in the Premier League) is higher. The money is there, it's like a closed circuit. It's not gone, it is just with someone else.
"That's why the transfer fees in England are that high. The money is just redirected. And if they snap up someone from abroad, the financial power is there also.
"The squads are really strong. But the number of games takes strength and Monaco, for instance, took advantage of it against Manchester City (in the Champions League)."
Klopp cites the example of Liverpool's run to the final of the Europa League, which included a fixture against his old club in the quarter-finals.
After enduring an emotional roller coaster during the season, he says the Anfield club was too drained to be at their best in the final against Sevilla, a match the Reds lost 3-1 having been 1-0 up at half-time.
"I was in a state of emergency," Klopp said of the match against the side he led to back-to-back Bundesliga titles.
"To prepare for such a match five months after I started here, seven months after I left BVB on amicable terms, was a personal challenge.
"Looking back today, the last 30 minutes was one of the most emotional half-hours I ever experienced.
"Having eliminated my old club, it would have been nicer to win the title in the end. But it wasn't to be.
"Maybe also because of the intensity of the BVB match. We had nothing to add in the second-half of the final. We were on our last legs and then stood no chance against Sevilla."
