Klopp pretty pleased with his ‘ugly’ Reds
LIVERPOOL — Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he is happy for his team to win “ugly” if it brings results like Sunday’s fortunate 2-1 victory over Burnley.
Klopp’s team improved its chances of finishing in the Premier League’s top four, and qualifying for next season’s Champions League, thanks to Emre Can’s superb 61st-minute long-range winner at Anfield.
But, against a Burnley side with just two points away from home this season, Liverpool was forced to work hard for the points after Ashley Barnes fired the visitor into an early lead.
“I would say you need to be ready for both,” said Klopp when asked if it was important for his team to learn how to grind it out.
“You cannot plan an ugly game. But this was not our best game so, yes, if we want to stay where we are, then we need to win football games and we can’t make the choice and say ‘yes or no we want to play this way.
“We all have to get used to it a little bit. It is the first ugly game we won. Usually when we are not at our best we have lost.
“It is really good today that we could do it like this. We usually win good games, but the bad games and the average games we need to be challenging too. We were today.”
The Reds remain in the fourth and final Champions League qualifying spot, five points clear of fifth-place Arsenal.
Manchester United is a further point back, but, like the Gunners, has two games in hand.
Liverpool was fortunate to be level at the break after Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum scored an equalizer deep in stoppage time.
Klopp felt matchwinner Can should have done more to prevent Matt Lowton crossing for the Clarets’ opener, but he was pleased to see the Germany international has finally recovered from persistent injury troubles.
“Emre has an outstanding attitude,” said Klopp of his compatriot.
“He has had a few problems with a calf which we couldn’t sort quickly enough.
“We had a lot of specialists to try and find it out and it looks like we found a solution now and he does not have these problems anymore.
“I like to speak positively about a player. In the second half Emre was very good, but the first half was a challenge for him.
“He missed a good chance in front of goal, but things like that happen in football — it does not make you a bad person. We have to react and he reacted really well in the second half.”
Klopp also confirmed Jordan Henderson will miss Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City on Sunday because of a foot injury.
The 26-year-old former Sunderland midfielder is also ruled out of England’s forthcoming World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.