Jürgen Klopp spoke to the media following Liverpool's 3-2 loss to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup December 22. The boss quickly addressed a few topics including the strong level of play by both sides, while voicing his frustration at conceding the decisive goal to Manchester City.
Klopp did not answer many questions, but he did provide a detailed analysis of how he thought the Reds played and the overall quality of the match.
“We push each other always in the games to the next level,” Klopp said of the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester City. “There were spells – City was better, then we were better. I didn't really think about how good it can be but I saw the game as well. It was really good.”
Manchester City star Erling Haaland gave an early indication of what kind of match it would be when he tried a chip shot within the first 20 seconds.
“It was a difficult start,” Klopp said. “The first 15 minutes we had problems and City played much too often through our midfield. We all know City always have different ideas for different games and you always have to get used to it during the game, you never know exactly what will happen. But we found a way back in the game.“
After Liverpool showed the resiliency to find an equalizer on two separate occasions, Klopp voiced some frustration over allowing Nathan Aké's game-winner off of a set piece.
“The third goal especially, we are not switched on when they start their little routine,” Klopp said. “The cross is coming in, we are not in the right positions, not enough players watched the ball early. These kinds of things. So there is obviously still a lot of space for improvement.”
As so often happens, Klopp seems to say what the average supporter is thinking. While he was obviously impressed by the high level of play on the pitch by both sides and recognized that this was an entertaining match, he was also rightly frustrated with some of the Reds' mistakes. That is really has been the story of the season so far. Liverpool play brilliantly then they have inexplicable lapses that cost them cames like today. But also like today, no matter the outcome, this season has been an entertaining one, and I for one am ready for even more drama in the second half of the campaign.
