Wijnaldum: It would be stupid if Liverpool didn't believe in Premier League title bid

The Dutch midfielder admits there is “a long way to go” in a battle for domestic supremacy, but considers the Reds to be very much in the mix

Georginio Wijnaldum admits it “would be stupid” for Liverpool not to believe that they can capture the Premier League title this season.

The Reds have gone 29 years since they last captured the English top-flight crown, but that long wait could be ended in 2019.

Jurgen Klopp’s side, who have suffered just one defeat so far, currently hold a four-point lead over defending champions Manchester City.

As the side to catch, Wijnaldum concedes that those at Anfield have to feel as though they are capable of crossing the line in first place.

The Dutch midfielder told Sky Sports: “I think it would be stupid if I said ‘no’ [I don’t think we will win].

“If you ask people from Manchester City ‘will they be champions?’, they’ll say ‘yes’.

“It’s a bad sign if you say no, but we’ll see what happens until the end of the season. We will give everything we have, try to win every game and see what happens at the end of the season. There’s still a long way to go.

“I’d prefer to speak about games, like now against Crystal Palace, than about the championship. We just want to make the season as good as possible.

“We are trying to give everything during the season and hope we will succeed in the season. When we look back at the end of the season we will say, ‘Ok, what we have right now, we gave everything to reach that’.”

Wijnaldum has experienced a title chase before during his time at PSV.

He emerged victorious in 2015, with the benefit of playing first on a regular basis allowing the Eindhoven-based giants to edge out arch-rivals Ajax.

Quizzed on whether a similar situation could aid Liverpool’s cause this season, as they prepare to face Palace on Saturday and City wait until Sunday to take on Huddersfield, Wijnaldum said: “It’s difficult to say.

“I had the feeling it felt like an advantage when I was at PSV, we felt like we were putting pressure on them whenever we won a game, but we were not thinking we have to win today to put pressure on Ajax.

“We went out, tried to enjoy it and win the game – and we won nearly every game so it worked well. We concentrated on our own game, that’s the only thing you can control.”