Klopp: Passion, passion, passion ...
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp said his team would need to draw on all their passion to deal with the pressure of the Premier League title run-in after they were held to a goalless draw at Manchester United yesterday.
Klopp’s side have a one-point advantage over Manchester City, with both teams having played 27 games.
“From my point of view it is a very positive pressure, but I don’t have to play – I only sit here and say dumb things, so that’s easy,” said Klopp.
“We all have to learn in these situations, the only way we can do it is with passion. This club, the heart and soul of this club, is passion.”
The Reds are back in action against Watford at Anfield on Wednesday before Sunday’s Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park.
“On Wednesday night we have another chance and then there’s the derby, which is always a very emotional game so again (with) passion,” he said. “We know where we are coming from and we know where we are – now let’s make sure we use the situation as well as possible and then we will see it ends for us.”
The first half at Old Trafford was littered with injuries resulting in four substitutions, including Liverpool losing their Brazilian forward Roberto Firmino to an ankle injury, which Klopp said disrupted his team’s rhythm.
“It was a strange game. We started really well. All the injuries in the game obviously cost us rhythm. It happened to us with ‘Bobby’ and that was a catastrophe,” he added, before noting later that he was not aware how serious Firmino’s injury was.
“United played with a completely new midfield and three up front. We lost our rhythm and couldn’t get it back.
“It was a game without a lot of highlights – it was intense. On days when United are beatable you have to do it and we didn’t do it,” he said.
Klopp’s side have now drawn three of their last four Premier League games.
Klopp looked frustrated and irritated throughout the game as his team struggled to find the attacking verve, which has been the basis of their success this season, against a United side that was forced to make all three changes in the first-half.
Liverpool’s supporters struck a different tone, however, as they left the home of their old rivals chanting a reminder of their league position as they focus on the chance to win their first top-flight title since 1990.
The point means that Liverpool, who have 11 games remaining, will be disappointed not to have taken advantage of an injury-ravaged United, who slip to fifth after Arsenal’s win over Southampton.
Having lost holding midfielder Nemanja Matic to injury before the game, Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera went off in the 20th minute and a limping Juan Mata was replaced by Jesse Lingard five minutes later.
But Lingard did not even last until the break as he suffered what appeared to be a recurrence of his hamstring strain and limped off to be replaced by Alexis Sanchez.
Lingard had the best chance of the half when he was found in the box by Romelu Lukaku with a perfectly threaded pass, but Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker was quickly out to foil the England attacker’s attempt to round him.
“Everything that could have gone wrong in the first half went wrong. We had four injuries – we had to keep Marcus Rashford on – it seemed like it was going to be a tough afternoon,” said United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
After such a messy first half, neither side were able to truly get into their stride in a disappointing game.
Liverpool defender Joel Matip turned the ball into his own net, but the assistant referee had already signalled that Chris Smalling was off-side before his low cross fell into Matip’s path. Without Firmino and with Mohamed Salah having a quiet game, Liverpool’s only real opportunity came from a corner but Georginio Wijnaldum headed wide. |