Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp spoke to the media in his post match press conference about his side’s loss to Villarreal and the next tie coming up at Anfield.
Klopp expressed his disappointment after the defeat. Liverpool were in control for much of the tie and looked set to come away with a draw, but were caught napping in the dying moments of the game. Adrian Lopez scored off a Suarez cross, sending the home crowd into raptures. This put the Yellow Submarine in an advantageous position going into the second leg of the tie at Anfield.
Looking forward to Anfield
Jurgen Klopp insisted that there would be a different game in the next tie at Anfield, as they try to overturn the one goal deficit. “It will be a completely different game. It’s a holy place,” Klopp said.
He said he was more or less as confident as he was before the game and that they would try everything to overturn the deficit. “Now we have to find solutions for a few things but I saw a lot of things that suggested that with the help of Anfield that things are still possible.”
He stressed the importance of being ready for Anfield, saying this loss was something they should accept and it was no reason to be disappointed. He said, “If the players want to be angry for ten minutes then do it but we must be ready for Anfield.”
On conceding in extra time
Klopp said that both managers would have been satisfied with a 0-0 draw, admitting the goal they conceded was not ‘smart’. He said, “I didn’t want to concede a goal but we did. It was not too smart to be honest. Counter attacking in the 92nd minute makes not much sense. If we had enough players in around the box it was no problem but they played this one chip ball over Kolo, I don’t know where Alberto was in this moment but that was the only big mistake we made in this game and they scored with it.”
On his side’s performance
“I’m pleased with a lot of the performance,” he said. Klopp said Villarreal were a good side but so were his men, and controlling the game like they did and then conceding in the 92nd minute after a counter attack was something that should never happen. The manager also said he felt some big decisions didn’t help their cause, pointing to the offside call against Lallana. He said, “In big games you need right decisions and I was really disappointed when I came into the dressing room and everyone said Lallana had not been off-side.”
However, Jurgen Klopp isn’t one to give up that easily. And he reminded everyone that this tie was not yet over. He said, “My first thought when everyone was celebrating around me was ‘sorry, this is not over yet, you still have to come to Anfield, too.”
This Liverpool side proved in their last tie against Dortmund that they were not a team to be taken lightly and one capable of fantastic comebacks. Klopp will look to get his side ready for the second leg and this will serve as a wake up call for his players. Klopp knows exactly how well a ‘holy place’ like Anfield could be an advantage to the players and will expect the fans to be in full voice for next week’s clash as they look to qualify for the finals.
