Liverpool struggled at both ends of the field yesterday, despite dominating the game
If you found yourself feeling slightly unhappy after the defeat to Man Utd yesterday, then just imagine how Jurgen Klopp would’ve felt? As he pointed out himself after the game, it seems to be a weekly occurrence for him now, having to speak about calamitous defending and giving away soft goals after each game.
Quite how to change that is becoming increasingly difficult to answer, and it’s a problem Klopp has probably not faced in his management career so far. But he is clearly not very happy about the fact that his side did everything apart from score the goals to win the game yesterday, before conspiring to lose in typical fashion: a goal from a set piece.
Speaking following the game (via Liverpoolfc.com), Klopp said: “It’s a derby and in a derby you only have one job to do – you have to win it because that’s the only possibility to be satisfied after the game.
“I think if Manchester United were to talk about their performance, they’d say it was not that good but they won so they are really happy.
“We played better but feel really frustrated because of the result. Our performance and a lot of things we did today were really good. Creating chances was good, but the finishing was not good otherwise we would have scored a goal.
“The set-play was unlucky because we changed two positions for defending set-plays a few moments before. We didn’t avoid the cross, lose Fellaini, bar, lose Rooney – goal.
“Three mistakes around the goal, which is obviously too much against a team with the quality of Manchester United. Today there was not enough time to come back in the game.
“At this moment it is frustrating, how it should be, but we have to carry on and that’s what we’ll do.”
Of course, defending isn’t Liverpool’s only issue at present, with a host of strikers on the treatment table, the team are struggling for goals and it was another case of squandered opportunities at the opposition end.
With the transfer window remaining open for another fortnight, there is still time for the club to make moves for players at both ends of the field, and Klopp will no doubt still keep his cards close to his chest until any new player signs.
In the meantime, he’ll continue to look for ways for his current crop of players to score and stop conceding goals. Whether it’s new players or something just suddenly clicks, let’s hope a solution is found soon, either way.
You talk of ‘let’s hope a solution is found soon’ as if it was the Holy Grail. Let me say that dozens of other clubs are doing just that and doing it actively. It is not rocket science to solve this problem. The other clubs are busy actually buying either replacements or additions to solve their problems whilst we simply ‘talk about them’ and do absolutely nothing. LFC is in this state due to the people running it and they alone have the means at hand to solve this but the fact is they do not wish to do so. They simply buy youngsters for ‘tomorrow’ and ignore the calamitous situation we find ourselves in. It is not going unnoticed that the deadwood is NOT being cleared out and we are simply sliding through the mid table until the summer. Then I assume other reasons will be brought forward for why we can get no talent inward bound. This whole thing is a gross and indecent joke.