REDS REDISCOVER THEIR SWAGGER
Klopp delighted with title race response following win over Bournemouth
JURGEN Klopp believes Liverpool made a statement in not just returning to winning ways with a 3-0 win over Bournemouth on Saturday, but the manner in which they regained a three-point lead over Manchester City, who were playing Chelsea in a late match yesterday, at the top of the Premier League.
Sadio Mane, Georginio Wijnaldum and Mohamed Salah scored the goals as Klopp’s men showed little sign of the nerves and mistakes in recent 1-1 draws with Leicester and West Ham that had cut their advantage over the champions.
This was the response that Liverpool fans had yearned for after two draws, one shaky win, one narrow one and a defeat in the last five games.
“We knew we were not happy with our performance in the last two or three games,” said Klopp.
“We don’t want to come through somehow in a game, we want to play convincing football we want to perform. That was the reaction we wanted to show today.”
It was Roberto Firmino’s back heel that told you the swagger was back.
Obviously the finish was from Salah and that was more decisive. But it was the back heel which made it and indicated that some of the old synchronicity had returned.
Firmino is a centre forward who can be outstanding without scoring and this was one of those afternoons. And this was the moment was when his all-round understanding and anticipation of his teammates came close to telepathy
The move to play in the Brazilian had also been a thing of beauty, Mane finding Naby Keita whose long range pass was perfectly weighted. And that in itself was an improvement on recent games.
This was Klopp hitting all the right notes of his heavy metal football: controlled yet rapid changes of tempo to dislocate the opposition.
Firmino might have taken the shot himself, though the angle was narrowing as Nathan Ake pushed him ever wider. But he sensed something behind him. Or he just knew that Salah would be sprinting to join the attack.
And so, selflessly and instinctively, and whilst running at speed with no chance to check, he back heeled the ball and it fell directly into Salah’s path.
Bournemouth had already been on the back foot now but the angles of attack had changed in an instant and they were completely discombobulated. And they had the Egyptian bearing down on goal, with a free hit. The conclusion was inevitable
“I don’t think you find a lot of players who do what Bobby is doing in that moment,” said Jurgen Klopp. “Most of them try to shoot and get blocked and he is doing that little pass….”
At this point Klopp just chucked at the audacity of it. “That little, little pass,” he continued, with his enormous grin. “And then Mo is obviously a pretty cool finisher.”
Some cautionary notes. Liverpool were again aided by a dubious offside decision for Mane’s opening headed goal.
“It was a key moment,” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said. “Half a yard offside. It was a huge turning point in the match.”
Bournemouth are missing David Brookes and Callum Wilson, probably their best performers of the season as well as long term injuries to Simon Francis and Lewis Cook.
In reality it’s asking too much of even one of the better sides in the Premier League to make do and mend in those circumstances.