Jürgen Klopp

[vlahka]

With the team playing the way they are, its no wonder he just sits there. He's probably finding no joy in it. Looking forward to a bunch of new signings at the end of the season.

[Infadel]

With the team playing the way they are, its no wonder he just sits there. He's probably finding no joy in it. Looking forward to a bunch of new signings at the end of the season.

That may be the case, but it's imperative that we qualify for the Champions League next year. If we don't we will struggle to recruit top players and we'll struggle to keep hold of the likes of Coutinho.

[Big-Red-Ed]

If we don't qualify for CL this year with no European games and all our rivals bar Chelsea dropping points all over the shop then we might as well rip it up and start again.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[Norbs]

Rip it up and start again, eh, Edwyn

[Fredo]

Klopp:
“In our job, in 70% to 80% of all games, we are dominant. So we have to enjoy this, even when we don’t break through after five minutes. That’s how it is. That’s the job to do."

[Deano]

Jürgen Klopp reveals ‘long’ clear-the-air meeting with Liverpool players
• Manager held inquest the day after losing against Swansea at Anfield
• German admits his players are not enjoying the job they have to do


Jürgen Klopp is concerned about Liverpool’s defending as they prepare to face Southampton in the EFL Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield.

Monday 23 January 2017 22.29 GMT Last modified on Monday 23 January 2017 22.45 GMT

Jürgen Klopp has admitted he is not happy with Liverpool’s past few results in the Premier League and revealed he held a “long” meeting with his players the day after the 3-2 defeat by Swansea City.

Klopp also suggested the players were not enjoying themselves at the moment. “We had a very intense period around Christmas and new year,” the Liverpool manager said. “Fair enough, so did everybody else, but before the Swansea game I actually thought we were back on the right track, with the freshness coming back. But what I spoke most about was enjoying what we do.

“We are Liverpool, a really good football-playing side, and we don’t enjoy the job we have to do. It is not as though we are a team at the bottom of the league that has to defend 80% or 90% of the time. In most of our games we are dominant, so we have to enjoy this, even when we don’t come through after five minutes.”


Jürgen Klopp left frustrated in pursuit of new signings for Liverpool
Read more
He also said their recent defensive record was discussed at the meeting. “We scored two goals, enough to win the game, but I felt the defending could be improved. I also think the goals we have conceded in 2017 have been a little bit of the same story. The influence of throw-ins is a bit too big, for instance, so we spoke about that.”

Liverpool have won just one of their six games since beating Manchester City on New Year’s Eve, and that was with the help of a replay against Plymouth Argyle of League Two in the FA Cup. They were defeated by their next opponents, Southampton, in the first leg of the EFL Cup, though Klopp believes a one-goal deficit should not be too much to overcome in the return at Anfield on Wednesday. “For us, 1-0 is no different to 0-0, there is still all to play for, everything is still possible. If it had been 3-0 to Southampton after the first leg we would have had to think about a few things.”

Therein lies the rub, because most observers felt Liverpool were lucky to escape St Mary’s with a single-goal defeat. Southampton certainly made enough clear chances to win the game 3-0, and Klopp is aware his defence is being breached too easily.

He denies Liverpool’s slump in form has anything to do with the absence of Joël Matip – “we are a big club, it is not allowed to say you miss one player” – and feels in any case that his side needs to defend better as a team. “Sometimes there’s a single mistake, but most of the time it is seven or eight players who could have done something differently. That’s how we understand it.

“It’s not about one player. We really have to do better as a defensive unit. That was one of the things we discussed in our long meeting after the Swansea game, and I think we are all ready for the rest of the season now. The feeling around the club is not quite as positive as it was, and it’s our job to bring that positivity back.”


Liverpool could be through to a Wembley final, against Manchester United, by Wednesday night, and after reaching the final of the same competition last year Klopp would like to go one better and win it. “A semi-final is a big game for us. We have to concentrate on Southampton, then see who is available for Wolves at the weekend before we can turn our attention to Chelsea,” he said.

Klopp is becoming used to fixture overload by now, though while it is clearly not ideal to have a showdown with the league leaders as a third game in six days, he reserved most of his scorn for the early kick-off in the FA Cup on Saturday. “We want to take our EFL semi-final seriously, as well as the FA Cup, but it is clear not everyone feels the same. We have an important semi-final on Wednesday night so they have given us a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturday.”

Klopp has confirmed that Jordan Henderson is still feeling discomfort from a heel injury, though says it is not the same complaint that sidelined him for three months last season and believes the situation can be managed. Henderson is expected to play against Southampton in the EFL Cup, though his manager explained he might have to grit his teeth.

“It is similar to last season but different,” he said. “We know a lot more about how to treat the problem now, and at this stage of the season we are not doing much training between games in any case. If the other lads are running, Hendo will be on the bike. He feels it a little bit when he plays but he can cope with it.”

[danperkins]

Unfortunately a new GK, DM and CB to partner Matip is the only way this is going to be solved. That loss at Swansea has pretty much put to bed any title aspirations. I never thought we would anyways but at least now that pressure has been put in the background and hopefully we can stay in the champs league spots... that in itself is going to be hard enough.

Tough situation for Klopp to be in, as he clearly knows we need players and asap but the January window is fairly **** so it's make do and consolidate until the summer. Not getting a top class GK and the Sakho mess has royally ****ed us defensively. I know Sakho seems to be a bit of a joke off the pitch but I have no doubts in my mind that he would have done a much better job instead of Lovren & Klavan. Idiot he is.

Hendo has done a great job in there but we really do need a specialist DM to help out our disastrous backline. I think Klopp's tactics have been found out a bit, we rely on a hard press & teams now are just sitting back & playing the long ball over the midfield which is totally negating our game. I know Mourinho went route one mode against us but it worked! Any team that plays us can see what our weaknesses are, any sort of cross, free kick or long ball anywhere near the box seems to set us into panic mode. Matip's return will be a huge boost but I do think we'll see a new GK,CB & DM come the summer.

[Slinky Skills]

Unfortunately a new GK, DM and CB to partner Matip is the only way this is going to be solved. That loss at Swansea has pretty much put to bed any title aspirations. I never thought we would anyways but at least now that pressure has been put in the background and hopefully we can stay in the champs league spots... that in itself is going to be hard enough.

Tough situation for Klopp to be in, as he clearly knows we need players and asap but the January window is fairly **** so it's make do and consolidate until the summer. Not getting a top class GK and the Sakho mess has royally ****ed us defensively. I know Sakho seems to be a bit of a joke off the pitch but I have no doubts in my mind that he would have done a much better job instead of Lovren & Klavan. Idiot he is.

Hendo has done a great job in there but we really do need a specialist DM to help out our disastrous backline. I think Klopp's tactics have been found out a bit, we rely on a hard press & teams now are just sitting back & playing the long ball over the midfield which is totally negating our game. I know Mourinho went route one mode against us but it worked! Any team that plays us can see what our weaknesses are, any sort of cross, free kick or long ball anywhere near the box seems to set us into panic mode. Matip's return will be a huge boost but I do think we'll see a new GK,CB & DM come the summer.

Good post Dan, agree with all of it.

[Lecter]

Unfortunately a new GK, DM and CB to partner Matip is the only way this is going to be solved. That loss at Swansea has pretty much put to bed any title aspirations. I never thought we would anyways but at least now that pressure has been put in the background and hopefully we can stay in the champs league spots... that in itself is going to be hard enough.

Tough situation for Klopp to be in, as he clearly knows we need players and asap but the January window is fairly **** so it's make do and consolidate until the summer. Not getting a top class GK and the Sakho mess has royally ****ed us defensively. I know Sakho seems to be a bit of a joke off the pitch but I have no doubts in my mind that he would have done a much better job instead of Lovren & Klavan. Idiot he is.

Hendo has done a great job in there but we really do need a specialist DM to help out our disastrous backline. I think Klopp's tactics have been found out a bit, we rely on a hard press & teams now are just sitting back & playing the long ball over the midfield which is totally negating our game. I know Mourinho went route one mode against us but it worked! Any team that plays us can see what our weaknesses are, any sort of cross, free kick or long ball anywhere near the box seems to set us into panic mode. Matip's return will be a huge boost but I do think we'll see a new GK,CB & DM come the summer.

I think the signing of a holding midfielder is massive

Not only for protection but also psychologically

If opponents know you have a holding midfielder who mops up 2nd balls they will be reluctant to go long and the tactic becomes even more of a gamble

Tactically I'm not sure what you would do against a Liverpool side that had the option of a Mascherano or a Kante etc... you would have to just hope we had a massive off day

[kev776]

Buy a leftback and try Milly as defensive midfielder.

[Mark79]

No.

[wongers]

been done didn't work

[danperkins]

Good post Dan, agree with all of it.

I think the signing of a holding midfielder is massive

Not only for protection but also psychologically

If opponents know you have a holding midfielder who mops up 2nd balls they will be reluctant to go long and the tactic becomes even more of a gamble

Tactically I'm not sure what you would do against a Liverpool side that had the option of a Mascherano or a Kante etc... you would have to just hope we had a massive off day

Yeah what a different likes of a Kante would have made to our defensive side of the game. I am getting worried that we've been found out a bit, IMO that all action style of Klopp's sides is impossible to maintain throughout a season.... even without European football.

I thought that at this stage of the season it might have went the other way and our lads would just get fitter and fitter. Instead we've picked up key injuries & the mainstays look knackered. When fit we have a very good first 11, quality almost everywhere but a few injuries here and there and it's blatantly obvious how thin the squad is.

I do think there is now a blueprint for playing against LFC & i'm hoping that somehow Klopp can find a way to stop the rot that seems to be setting in. We are still in a great position and for the most part we've been a joy to watch this season but you do get that feeling off same old, same old.

[fidget]

The blueprint being sit back,pray we don't score too many and that we concede a goal from every attempt at goal.

[Fredo]

I think we'll get used to it and they will have to find other ways to counter us.