Klopp’s comedy of errors
Tactical blunder leaves Liverpool players confused
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he might have bamboozled his players by jotting down a change of tactics on a scrap of paper during Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Southampton in their League Cup semifinal first leg.
Striker Daniel Sturridge appeared nonplussed when passed the details on the note in the second half at St. Mary’s, with other Liverpool players also confused by K lop p’ s switch.
Former Borussia Dortmund manager Klopp revealed he altered Liverpool’s tactics to 3-5-2, and admitted failing to get the message across to his players quickly enough.
“It was just a new system, however you want to call it, 3-5-2,” said Klopp.
“Two wingers, two strikers, that’s all. No more information, but it was enough.
“I think I was a little bit too late when giving (Sturridge) the paper when the game was already running on. That was our mistake.
“Seven or eight could see it but Roberto (Firmino) needed a bit longer. So things like this happen.”
Despite the loss, Klopp predicted Liverpool will strike back against Southampton in the second leg despite being well below its best in the opening salvo of the semifinal in which Nathan Redmond’s cool first half finish gave the Saints the victory.
Redmond missed two more good chances as the home side wasted the opportunity to take complete control of the tie.
Relieved only to lose by one goal, Klopp knows the Anfield atmosphere will propel his players to a more dynamic effort in the return leg on Jan 25, which could be enough to secure a Wembley date with Manchester United or Hull.
“The performance doesn’t feel too good, that’s how it is. But for the final everything is open,” Klopp said.
“At this moment there are two disappointed managers after the game, one because he lost, the other because he won 1-0 and has to go to Anfield, and that’s how it is.
“We will strike back, we will be a different team, different side — everything will be different at Anfield.
“So for us it’s still possible to go to Wembley, and that’s the target. That’s the only comfort to take from tonight.
“Losing 1-0 is the third-best result you can get. I don’t like it too much, but it’s still possible.”
Liverpool takes on Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday and Klopp demanded an immediate improvement from his side, which has failed to win its past three matches in all competitions.
“I’m not used to a reaction like this from my boys but we have to accept that tonight it was not good,” he said.
“We have to show a reaction against Southampton, but it would be cool to show a reaction on the weekend because we’ll probably need a better performance at Old Trafford.”
Southampton boss Claude Puel said his side should probably has secured a greater winning margin, but the Frenchman is confident the Saints can still progress to their first League Cup final since 1979.
“It’s a little frustration that this win was just 1-0,” Puel said.
“With just a little more luck we could have been further ahead.
“But I think it was important to keep this result with a clean sheet, with a win, and to sustain our chances of qualifying for the final.
“It was a great performance here, and I believe they had just one chance in the whole game, so it’s a good performance from my players.”
We will strike back, we will be a different team, different side.” Jurgen Klopp, on League Cup return leg at Anfield