LIVERPOOL – Liverpool deserved to be crowned Premier League champions after showing remarkable consistency this season and Juergen Klopp's side are a model for other clubs looking to improve every year, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said on Friday.
Liverpool's first league title in 30 years was confirmed on Thursday when Chelsea beat second-placed Manchester City to give Klopp's side an unassailable 23-point lead with seven games left.
Klopp, who took over the Anfield club in the 2015-16 season, steadily improved the side and has since won the Champions League last season followed by the much-awaited league title this year.
"Big congratulations from my side, he did an amazing job," Hasenhuttl said in a virtual news conference.
"What he did the last four years there is amazing. It's kind of a role model to every other club, what you can do if you develop and if you work on your weaknesses and try to get better every year. It was a logical step to become the champion now.
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"It wasn't really so surprising for me that it will happen this season because it was clear for a long time that they will be the champion this season. They have shown the most consistency."
Southampton, who lost 2-0 to Arsenal on Thursday, are 14th in the standings ahead of Sunday's trip to Watford and Hasenhuttl said Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Sofiane Boufal will be assessed after picking up injuries.
"We'll need some fresh players for the weekend," the Austrian manager said. "Yesterday was intense and we'll be against a side fighting for their life."
Hasenhuttl also said the club had not yet decided on Kyle Walker-Peters' future after Tottenham Hotspur confirmed the 23-year-old defender's loan at the south-coast club was extended until the end of the season.
"We have him on loan here, so we will give him more moments to show up," Hasenhuttl added. "We then have to make a decision this summer."
Reuters