Jurgen Klopp has explained that his team must defend better as their slow start to the season continued against Leeds at Anfield.
The Yorkshire outfit ended a nine-game winless run after goals from Rodrigo and Crysencio Summerville on either side of a Mo Salah effort gave Jesse March’s side all three points.
Liverpool have now lost four of their first 12 league games and the German tactician assessed the Reds’ performance after the game.
“Good start to the game, I liked it, energetic as we should have,” Klopp said (via Liverpool Echo). “Then we conceded an early goal, almost an own goal.
“It’s not useful, but we can equalize set pieces. Then a normal first half, with some good moments, something unfortunate and that put pressure on them with many set pieces and corner kicks.
“At the break, we would go back to telling the guys where the areas are where we can cause them the most trouble. How can we adapt in terms of positioning, because in the center Leeds was very compact and the wings were a weak part.
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“It’s where we created in the first half, we put them under pressure, not with flowing football, but the guys really tried. We had two great chances that we didn’t take, that means the game is still open.
“Then we concede a second goal where it’s obvious you can’t defend it like that, that’s clear. A two-on-one situation on the wings but no challenge, for a second three on one but no challenge, they pass the ball and we outnumber them, but suddenly it’s two on one in the area and the ball is in the goal. and Leeds wins. That is all”.
It was another frustrating night for the FA Cup champions with several players once again underperforming.
No disrespect to either party, but losing to Nottingham Forest and Leeds just isn’t good enough when you have hopes of contending for the title and finishing in the top four.
A title challenge now looks extremely unlikely and we also find ourselves eight points behind Newcastle, who are bottom of the Champions League at the moment.
After the big loss to Manchester City earlier this month, many predicted that we would move on and find some consistency, but in reality our performance levels have dropped even further since that win.
We only have two league games to play before the campaign is interrupted by the World Cup, but at the moment it looks like that break could be good for us, we’ll just have to wait and see.
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