Klopp: We can’t forget to defend!
SPEAKING on Match
of the Day, Alan Shearer compared Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool to the Newcastle United team of the mid-1990s christened ‘ The Entertainers’ under Kevin Keegan.
You can certainly see how the speed, free movement and commitment to attack of Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane is a modern- day echo of Shearer, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and Tino Asprilla in their pomp.
But, as the history books tell us, Keegan’s Newcastle never won the Premier League title. Prioritising pure entertainment, going all-out to attack, is no guarantee of success.
A gung-ho style needs a defensive counterpoint and, as Saturday’s thriller at Selhurst Park demonstrated, Klopp still has work to do if his Liverpool side are to achieve the necessary control over every match they play.
Going forward, they produced some of the most exciting football on offer anywhere. At the back is where their case to be champions this season starts to unravel.
Klopp acknowledged that the end-to-end first half, in which they scored three but conceded two, showed the downside to his approach. ‘The first half killed us a little bit, it was so intense, so wild and good, and the second half was like, “Oh my God, doing the same again?”’ he said.
‘You have to react, stay in the game when you feel kind of angry. That was the first 15 minutes, which I didn’t really like, playing “bop, bop, bop” — making all these moves and not finishing.
‘But then you have to defend in the game, defend seriously, even when you have made two really big mistakes, because we can’t switch on and off like machines.’
A frenetic opening saw Emre Can open the scoring, only for Dejan Lovren’s horrendous sliced clearance to gift James McArthur an equaliser two minutes later.
Lovren atoned immediately with a header to restore Liverpool’s lead, but was then outjumped by McArthur for 2-2.
Luckily for Liverpool, Palace were equally slipshod at the back and Joel Matip was left unmarked to power home their third just before the break. But it was only with Firmino’s fourth goal — after Palace had seen three penalty shouts waved away — that Klopp’s team had control.
Still, it was enough to keep Liverpool joint-top of the Premier League with a favourable run of games to come. They are not in European competition this season but Klopp claimed that the lighter workload compared to their rivals’ isn’t an advantage to them.
He said: ‘I know everyone talks about this, but I think 80 to 90 per cent of the time in Europe, the teams becoming champions are in the Champions League. Why? Because they have quality, they can rotate, they can rest whenever.’
But Liverpool’s style is attracting admirers. ‘It’s very difficult to play against them,’ said Palace boss Alan Pardew. ‘ The speed, the runners, they’re coming from every angle.’
McArthur agreed: ‘I’d say that’s the best side we’ve played against this year as a team performance. The front six, the way they press the ball and rotate, they are a really strong contender this year in my opinion.’
Coutinho was once again outstanding as he pulled the strings in attack and Lovren believes the Brazilian is the best player in the league.
He added: ‘He was not just outstanding today, he was like this last year. Sometimes when a team works really well, an individual stands out and I think today that was Philippe Coutinho.’
Keegan’s ‘Entertainers’ are remembered as the best team never to win the Premier League. It is Klopp’s mission to ensure that his Liverpool don’t suffer the same fate.
SUPER STAT: This was the eighth time in 2016 that Liverpool have scored four or more goals in a Premier League game.
CRYSTAL PALACE (4-2-3-1): Mandanda 7.5; Ward 6, Tomkins 5.5, Dann 6, Kelly 5.5; McArthur 7.5 (Campbell 86min), Ledley 6.5 (Puncheon 74, 5.5); Zaha 7, Cabaye 6.5, Lee 5.5 (Townsend 66, 5.5); Benteke 6. Subs not used: Hennessey; Flamini, Fryers, Delaney. Scorer: McArthur 18, 33. Booked: Cabaye. LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Karius 5.5; Clyne 6.5, Lovren 5, Matip 7, Moreno 6; Henderson 7, Can 6.5; Mane 7 (Klavan 90), Lallana 7.5 (Wijnaldum 76), Coutinho 8.5 (Origi 89); Firmino 7.5. Subs not used: Mignolet, Sturridge, Lucas, Randall. Scorers: Can 16, Lovren 21, Matip 44, Firmino 71. Booked: Can, Firmino. Man of the match: Philippe Coutinho. Referee: Andre Marriner 7.5.