WE’RE REALLY A DEFENSIVE TEAM, CLAIMS KLOPP

JURGEN KLOPP has made the astonishing claim that Liverpool are actually a defensive team. The Anfield club have been the embodiment of attacking flamboyance under their German manager, particularly this season with Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane making up their frightening front four. Liverpool have already scored 70 goals in all competitions this season, second to Manchester City who have 77. However, they have been beset by defensive setbacks, none more so than last Friday when they allowed Arsenal to score three times in four minutes having taken a 2-0 lead. And the Liverpool manger has made the surprising assertion that his side are defensive. He said: ‘We have a defending approach, we played 4-5-1 (against Arsenal) and they all have responsibility to defend. As long as they do it, we can line up quite offensive player-wise. There is nobody on the pitch who is not involved in defending. The goals were not because we were not defending. The goals against Arsenal came because we let them cross, we let them shoot. ‘It’s not true to say I’m naturally offensive. I want to defend first of all because that is the basis for everything. The best thing is to defend with 10 offensive players.’ Goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had a shocker at the Emirates, horribly misjudging Granit Xhaka’s shot for Arsenal’s second. But Klopp said: ‘He never conceded a goal like that so we don’t have to make a big deal of it.’