There have been so many clean sheets at Liverpool’s training ground this season that it must be one of the healthiest places in the country. The first frustrating post-match talk between Klopp and his players was after the defeat to Manchester United in August. The latter, after last Wednesday’s hammering at Napoli, felt more serious given his side’s underperformance this season. “I watched the game many times and it was a real horror show to be honest,” Klopp said of the 4-1 defeat in Italy. “We also showed the boys the situations. They knew it, but seeing it again makes it really obvious. It was the worst game we’ve played since I’ve been here. We had some bad games – everyone remembers Aston Villa (lost 7-2) and some others where we just weren’t up to speed, but there were always flashes in those games. In this particular game: nothing. Then you have to understand why this is happening.” The unexpected weekend break gave Klopp more time to find solutions. His emphasis in his pre-match press conference was on defence, although it would be simplistic to imply that this means he holds the back four to account alone. Liverpool’s problem was structural, the individual mistakes at the back highlighting the lack of protection higher up, especially the pedestrian midfield. Klopp has suggested that his players need to win more one-on-one duels. “We have to realize that everything starts with the defense and we have to give ourselves the chance to celebrate winning again in a challenge,” Klopp said. “There is no good game when a team plays flawlessly offensively and defensively it was just a mess, but there are games where teams defend well and do not play well offensively. Everything is based on real defense and that’s what we have to do and what we have to show.” Asked if he was more vocal than usual with his players, Klopp replied: “Yes. I have something to do. I can’t sit there and wait to see how we react. “I didn’t have to say much about it, but I did. There are four or five days now of absolute truth. We didn’t hide anything, we didn’t hold anything back, there was no need for that. We just said it like it is, but not to tear the players down or anything, just to make sure that where we are now is the starting point for us and we make sure we solve the problems together on the pitch. Is this the situation I wanted? No. But now that you’re in it, you find it interesting and challenging.” Klopp’s options are bolstered by Thiago Alcantara’s ability to start again, although Andy Robertson will be out until after the international break with a foot injury sustained in Napoli. “A lot of good things have happened in the past and this team has shown an incredible kind of consistency over a long period of time,” Klopp said. “I know how this business works. I didn’t read a word of what was said about us, but most of it was probably fair. I watched the game many times and I would have asked a lot of questions about the crowd and the manager and the specific players. It’s perfectly fine and we need to respond. That’s what we have to talk about, we have to show and we have to train.”
