Brighton rock – and Klopp blows his top
THE sight of Jurgen Klopp, face contorted as he screamed at Virgil van Dijk, spoke volumes about this match.
Van Dijk puffed out his cheeks, mouthed ‘yeah, yeah’, rattled his head briefly as if to clear the fog, and Liverpool life carried on.
But it showed the difference a week makes.Against Manchester United, Klopp’s side exploited a team that had no shape, no plan and no idea.
Brighton, and their manager Graham Potter, however, had a clear, evolved strategy.The truth is the visitors probably deserved victory because Liverpool struggled in the second half as they have not done this season.
If United actually want to build a young side that is tactically adept and astute, then they have a perfect managerial candidate in Potter.
To play a possession game against the best takes courage. To stick to those principles when 2-0 down was brave.
Klopp does not doubt Potter, above, will get a big job one day, saying: “I don’t want to talk the coach of Brighton away to some other club, but I think he should not worry about his future. He definitely has all you need.”
Brighton had the better chances but they also rode their luck as two Reds disallowed goals illustrated, while Enock Mwepu’s crucial goal just before the break was a fluked cross.
But the visitors also had a disallowed goal they thought was the winner, from the excellent Leandro Trossard, who had levelled with a fine finish.
Klopp was angry because his side let Brighton “play in the half spaces”, and also because he thought they were there for the taking after Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane made it 2-0 inside 25 minutes.
On his exchange withVan Dijk, he said: “I know it [what the exchange was about]. It was the one where [Solly] March was pretty much the only player up front for Brighton andVirgil was too far away. A normal coach-player talk.”