Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool keep having to play against opponents who defend deep and counter-attack and quite frankly it seems a little bit unfair.
“The third goal I don’t count because it was the first time they passed the halfway line in the second half,” said Klopp after watching Wolves summarily dismantle his Liverpool side at Molineux, with a Ruben Neves goal on the counter-attack completing a humbling afternoon.
It wasn’t the first time Klopp has complained about being unable to break down a defensive team and it most certainly won’t be the last, particularly if Liverpool’s form continues. Here are just a few of the times the manager has blamed a disappointing result on the opposition not letting his side walk straight through.
The opponent: Spurs
The result: 2-2 (April 2022)
The Klopp quote:
“I’m sorry I’m the wrong person for that, I don’t like this kind of football. But that’s my personal problem.
“I think they’re world-class, and I think they should do more for the game. I think the game against Liverpool they had 36, 38 per cent possession.
“But it’s my problem. I cannot coach it. So that’s why I cannot do it. So yes, world-class players block all the balls, really difficult. Atletico Madrid is doing it. Fine, they won whatever. Fine, absolutely fine. I just can’t. I respect everything they do, but it’s not me.”
Spurs manager Antonio Conte forgave Klopp, reasoning that the German’s frustration came about because “they lost the Premier League because of that result”. Liverpool finished a point behind Manchester City that season and those were the last points the Reds dropped.
Klopp on Spurs: “It”s a game against Liverpool, they had 36% possession. That is my problem. I can’t coach it, I cannot do it. World-class players, [who] block all the balls. I respect everything they do but it’s not me”
Look who had 35% possession in the 2019 CL final:#COYS pic.twitter.com/81PQ6UWpj7
— Chris Cowlin (@ChrisCowlin) May 10, 2022
The opponent: Man Utd
The result: 0-0 (January 2021)
The Klopp quote:
“We played football, tried to do it, force them back into their own box. The worst thing you can face in the world, in football, is you play against a side with world-class players and they all defend with all they have, deep in the box and only counter-attack. It’s really difficult – that’s the biggest challenge.”
Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer insisted his side “attacked every time we got…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Football365…