Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says he was happy with his team’s performance during their 4-1 win over Manchester City on Saturday, but insists that there is still more to come.
Speaking on American TV channel NBC, Klopp said while his team didn’t play the perfect game, they did put on a very impressive performance:
I don’t know if proud is the right word, but of course I’m really satisfied with the performance. It was far away from perfect, but it was in many moments really, really good.
Klopp also spoke about Liverpool’s gameplay and admitted that he set out to disrupt Manuel Pellegrini’s team as allowing them to play would have left Liverpool with “no chance”.
What we had to do was disturb their build up play, because if you let them play how they want, you have no chance. That’s what we tried to do. This was the first step in this game. It’s really not easy because we didn’t defend perfectly, we had some problems at the wing, in the centre we didn’t move enough on the ball side. But when we got the ball, our counter attack was not too bad tonight, it was really good. We made these three wonderful goals and then you let them play a little bit, and they’re back in the game because the goal of Aguero was not even a chance. Simon Mignolet had no chance. That’s what happens when you let them play.
The German manager then spoke about the improvements his side have made, and insisted that while there has been progress, there is still a long way to go.
We are not at the end of this way, it’s a long way we have to go. It’s not easy because there is no time to train. When we have time, all the players are around the world with the national teams. We didn’t have more players this time but they came back a little early because of the things that happened in Europe. It was better for the training.
Ex-Reds manager Brendan Rodgers was often mocked for his use of the word “character”, but Klopp also spoke about how his side’s character has impressed him during his short tenure.
The character of the team is really good, they want to work. I knew about the character, when you watch Liverpool you see they’re ready for work. But of course we have to work at the mentality, and it’s a different thing. I said to my players at half time, it looks a little like you’re surprised we’re 3-0 in the lead. We have to learn to win, to be in the lead. It’s far away from perfect, but it was a big step. The points, and style of play, we can do better and that’s very important.
On Man City’s goal, he said:
They decided a second too late and Simon Mignolet has the ball, and he should have the solution for us, but that’s not okay because he can only shoot the long ball. He wants to play football, because he’s able to play football, but then hit shoots a sh*t ball and everyone thinks he’s responsible. No, no, no. The rest are responsible because we think too late.
Philippe Coutinho and Firmino combined well during the game, and Klopp was full of praise for the Brazilian duo and explained why he chose to play Firmino up front over Christian Benteke and Daniel Sturridge.
They are both brilliant footballers. I’m sure they’re friends but they like Benteke and Sturridge too, there’s no problem between the lads. It was because they could train together.Benteke was not with us [earlier in the week). So he came back on Wednesday, and we had 10 days training and we knew we play against Man City and do a little bit of training, of course (Coutinho and Firmino) played together in training and so it was the decision.
The Chelsea game had no bearing, they’re completely different, you cannot compare. Christian, when he came in, was brilliant. Defended well, faster on his legs, so important for us.
To have Sturridge on the bench, and you don’t have to bring him in, because four days in training is nothing. It was more ‘come on Studge, feel it, you are with us’ and now he can make the next step, four more days training against Bordeaux, then another two. To bring him in the shape so he’s robust enough for the long season.
Klopp did admit to having to tell Firmino to stay up front as the Brazilian kept dropping deep.
Before the game, I told him he’s a striker who can sometimes be a midfielder – not the midfielder who is sometimes a striker. We need him as a target and he came very deep. So I said: ‘what are we doing here? We can’t play the ball in that direction when we have no one to play it to, please stay there. I have never told a player to stay there!
Finally, Klopp spoke about Emre Can and how he had to instruct him to be more disciplined at the end of the game.
Emre is a young lad, he’s full of emotion and everything but when you are tired in a game, then if you cannot make the way back, please don’t make the way forward. He opened space sometimes but it’s no problem, that’s my work, I try to help, it’s not so easy from outside but when you win 4-1, everything is okay.
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