Liverpool gets another chance for redemption
Georginio Wijnaldum is calling on his Liverpool teammates to put the disappointment of losing to Burnley behind it in Tuesday’s League Cup tie at second-tier Burton Albion.
Liverpool started the Premier League season in enterprising fashion with a thrilling 4-3 win at Arsenal, only to lose 2-0 at promoted Burnley on Saturday despite enjoying over 80 percent possession.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds reached last season’s League Cup final, losing on penalties to Manchester City, and Wijnaldum hopes they can use their first game in this season’s competition to get back on track.
“We made two mistakes and they scored two goals and we didn’t create any big chances. That was the story in the first half,” the former Newcastle United midfielder told the Liverpool website after the game at Burnley.
“We expected to create better chances than we did. Sometimes you have the kind of games that it doesn’t work and you have to keep your confidence and look forward.
“We must move on to the next game, not make the same mistakes we made (against Burnley) and look forward with confidence.”
Tuesday’s game at Pirelli Stadium will carry special meaning for Burton manager Nigel Clough, who spent three years at Liverpool as a player in the mid-1990s.
Clough, son of legendary former Nottingham Forest manager Brian, returned to Burton for a second spell last year after spending nine years with the club between 1998 and 2009.
Burton memorably held Manchester United to a 0-0 draw in the FA Cup in January 2006, but whereas it was then a non-league team, it is now just one division below the Premier League.
Liverpool is entering the League Cup in the second round due to its failure to qualify for European competition.
Chelsea is in the same boat and begins its assault on a competition it last won in 2015 with a home game against third-division Bristol Rovers.
Chelsea has won both its opening league games, and winger Eden Hazard believes the manner of its victories is testament to the impact of new manager Antonio Conte.