Jurgen Klopp reacts to Liverpool FC’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace held Liverpool FC to a goalless draw at Selhurst Park on Saturday night In the English Premier League.
The Reds did win their last two English Premier League games before the mid-week 2-5 bashing by Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
In the game on Saturday, Liverpool FC failed to win at Selhurst Park, one venue the German manager has enjoyed success on numerous occasions.
After the goalless draw vs Palace, Jurgen Klopp told the clubs website of his thoughts on the overall contest, positives from the game and technical supremacy.
On the contest overall…
[A] good point, if you want, main difference to all other games we played here over the years, I know the record is insane, but the games were like tonight [but] the main difference [was] that we scored. We didn’t score tonight. The last few games I remember we scored here I think early, not early, but scored with a set-piece. Joel or Virgil or whatever and the second was probably a counter-attack. [In the] last 10 minutes anyway [you are] always under pressure. [The] stadium is there… and that’s the main difference, but the clean sheet is there anyway. Could we have done better? Yes. I think so.
The first switch we played, the first diagonal from Trent was mishit, goes out and from that moment on we didn’t play the ball anymore. Second half then again, but first half not. First ball in behind was mishit or [we] didn’t reach it – [we] didn’t play it in behind anymore. [Against] compact formation, if you don’t threaten them in behind you play always in between the lines and some balls we miss, or gave away unforced and others they just won the challenge. From there you have to go and that’s the situation, but apart from when they hit the crossbar they had no shot on target, which is a good sign as well. Yeah, tough game, got a point, clean sheet – let’s carry on.
On Darwin Nunez’s absence…
Darwin against Newcastle when he fouled Trippier… yeah, his shoulder, then it was OK with an injection against Madrid because there’s no structural damage, it’s very painful, but the day after the Madrid game he got another knock there and after the game he couldn’t move the arm at all. So, we have to see how long that will take but that was the reason for him and Joe Gomez had a muscle [injury].
On what the big picture is for the rest of the season…
We keep going. I see in your eyes and in the players’ eyes as well [that] it looks like we lost the game – we didn’t. It’s like that. We spite ourselves with a lot of things, but you cannot suffer because of our own history. That would now be really a joke. This will not be the season that everybody [looks for] in the history books, when you look and see that season again and again and again – it will not be big movies about it or stuff like this. But we have to go through it anyway and we will. It’s not always that we won; all great. Now we dropped a point; all rubbish.
We have to keep going, take the things and go again. Take the things and go again. That’s what we will do. Nothing really changed tonight but again we can see it two ways. We didn’t win, that sounds very negative, [or] we have a point more that before, I think that sounds pretty positive. So, we can choose.
On Trent Alexander-Arnold’s substitution…
It was just clear… Trent plays all the games for us and then we have to make [a decision] from time to time. We thought before the game already is it one too much for him or whatever. But then he started – that’s it. The reason was purely because of that and nothing else.
On taking Naby Keita off at half-time…
Naby had an early yellow card and then two fouls – not really bad fouls, but two situations after that, which took him out of the game. He realised that from now on, no contact anymore. That was the reason.
On whether Liverpool missed Darwin Nunez’s runs in behind…
Diogo Jota can do that as well and Mo, of course, can do that. So again, the first ball was not there and then from that moment on we didn’t offer it anymore. Diogo is, of course, a different player to Darwin, but it’s not about that – Diogo can play between the lines and can offer as well in behind. Being a threat in behind doesn’t mean you have to get the ball, it just opens up the space for the players in between the lines.
On maintaining the “passing rhythm” tonight…
Because the formation and the space they left. How I said, when you always have to play between the lines then it is most difficult. There are the midfielders, the defending strikers, the centre-halves and stuff like this – they are all in the centre. The smallest space on the whole pitch and that’s it. On top of that, I can’t see any other reasons.
On Alexander-Arnold’s form and whether he is “suffering from a lack of confidence”…
He was, for sure, in the few games we won he was one of the much, much, much, much better players. It is Trent Alexander-Arnold and if he is not performing, everybody is talking about it. When he is performing, nobody speaks about it apart from when he is involved in goals. He set up super goals in the last few games – Newcastle and I think Everton. He is OK, it is just the amount of games. We took him off and he has a day longer to rest and then he will be fine again.
On Diogo Jota making his first start since October…
Based on that, I would say [his performance was] really, really good. We tried now to build it up slightly but it was a long time. Before that he was injured as well, so he came back from international duty for pre-season, he had no pre-season, he was injured, then he played a few games really good and then he was injured again. So far, it’s a really difficult season for him. Absolutely OK, he can player better of course, but that’s how it is, that’s what we have to go through and that’s what we do
