Be it in denial or otherwise, Jurgen Klopp has dismissed claims that Liverpool are in need a \u2018major overhaul\u2019 after losing their fourth Premier League game of the season to Leeds at Anfield.<\/p>\n
The visitors surged into the lead after a bad mix-up between Alisson Becker and Joe Gomez but the Reds lynchpin Mohamed Salah pulled the FA Cup champions level 10 minutes later.<\/p>\n
A late\u00a0Crysencio Summerville strike handed Jesse March\u2019s side the crucial three points they needed to boost their long-demoralised spirits. Post-match the Reds boss frankly admitted he has no explanation for his side\u2019s lackluster performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is not always that difficult or impossible [to control games] but tonight it was,\u201d\u00a0Klopp said (as quoted by the Liverpool Echo<\/em>).<\/p>\n \u201cThere is no excuse for it but we have the problem from the first day of injuries or half-fit players and that is what we carry with us and that is why some players play too often and others have to play too early and the next game is already waiting.<\/p>\n \u201cNapoli now, some say we\u2019re already through, but we will need to put in a proper performance. But you need 11 starters and then a few days later we play away at Tottenham. That\u2019s our situation.<\/p>\n \u201cSo now is not the time for a major overhaul. We have to fight through and to fight for momentum, for confidence, for security, for all these things. You have to fight and that is what we do.<\/p>\n \u201cI would have taken a point tonight, nobody would have been happy but me when you see the game and how we conceded first, but my main issue is how we defended the second goal. When you don\u2019t have the ball, everyone has to defend, and we were not all there.<\/p>\n \u201cThere might be an explanation for it which I don\u2019t have at this moment, but that was my problem at the moment, but it happened anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n More seasoned observers would have noticed that Liverpool were second to most balls all night and it was the Elland Road outfit that surprisingly that was more plucky and showed more fight as the Reds lost their first home game in the league for 18 months.<\/p>\n AlthoughDarwin Nunez was gifted a number of chances to put the Merseysiders ahead, he inadvertently failed to surpass a spirited Ilian Meslier while Salah and Firmino all went close but yet not close enough to make the crucial differrence.<\/p>\n The Reds never really looked in control the entire match and that is what is most alrming at this point as they sit a shocking ninth in the table, closer to the relegation zone than the top four \u2013 and eight points behind a bustling, totally re-energised Newcastle in the final Champions League spot.<\/p>\n Klopp was candid in his admission that all of his players \u2018can play better football\u2019 even as he attempted to analyse his side\u2019s dismal performance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is difficult but not impossible [to control the game],\u201d\u00a0the former Borussia Dortmund boss added.\u00a0\u201cThe boys really want to, so that means we speed up with the ball, an example was Robbo goes on the outside, then goes inside, but has no option to play it and then loses the challenges twice. Then it\u2019s a counter attack. How often do we see Robbo doing that and he has different options? He can [usually] pass the ball inside and all these kinds of things but there was nobody today.<\/p>\n \u201cIn these moments we show we really want it but we have to play smarter against a compact formation that Leeds obviously have. You have to be calm in moments, I know that sounds really ridiculous when you want to score goals, but in football it\u2019s like this and you have to change the rhythm in these moments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe didn\u2019t do that well enough in the moment and then that leads to situations where we lose the ball again and that means space for a counter-attack or whatever and it doesn\u2019t look good. That means you cannot get a real momentum in the game. And it doesn\u2019t feel right. That\u2019s what I wanted to say.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a mix of everything of course. It is no secret that pretty much everybody on the pitch can play better football. There\u2019s no doubt about that. You have to do the simple stuff right and then you gain confidence and momentum. We had that in different games but today we couldn\u2019t get it and that is what I mean.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"