“What I can say” — Jurgen Klopp after Atalanta defeat

Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool Football Club, expressed disappointment and was very critical of his side following his team’s 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final first leg at Anfield.

Speaking in a post-match interview, Klopp lamented his side’s lackluster display and called for a swift turnaround ahead of their upcoming fixtures.

“[The] midfield was spread like that, right midfielder left side, left midfielder, striker… I didn’t recognise that, that was really strange. In football terms that’s tactical discipline. But anyhow we had a big chance I think from Darwin [Nunez] and then unlucky with Harvey [Elliott]. Then they scored the goal and then we kept playing into their hands, to be honest.”

Describing the match as “a really bad game,” Klopp highlighted several tactical shortcomings that contributed to the defeat.

He noted Liverpool’s initial promise fading as they struggled to maintain structure and discipline on the field. Klopp acknowledged Atalanta’s effective defensive strategy, emphasizing the challenges posed by their aggressive man-marking system.

“[We] didn’t use the man-marking besides that, I would say, a lot. Then Diogo [Jota] came on, we cannot use him now just because we think now he’s the solution or whatever.”

Reflecting on the decision to make six changes to the starting lineup and three substitutions at halftime, Klopp defended his choices despite facing scrutiny. He emphasized the need for rotation to maintain squad freshness but conceded that the changes did not yield the desired outcome.

“That’s how it is. You lose the game then your changes are questionable. I get that, 100 per cent. For the reasons I did it I would do exactly the same way again, but as I said, if you want to be good in the rest of the season then we have to make changes. We have to. We didn’t take off the three ‘worst’ players.”

When questioned about the prospects of overturning the deficit in the second leg, Klopp remained cautious and focused on the immediate task at hand.

Jurgen Klopp stressed the importance of regaining form and momentum, emphasizing the upcoming match against Crystal Palace as a priority before considering the return fixture against Atalanta.

“I believe that it’s not the moment to talk about that. What I can say already [is] I am not in the mood to think now about a game which is in a week’s time when we have another one in between. What we definitely will [do is] try and for that we have to play really good.”

While acknowledging the disappointment of the defeat, Jurgen Klopp remained optimistic about his team’s ability to bounce back.