Jürgen Klopp met with the media after his team's disappointing 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest.
The boss said the match was decided by just a handful of plays, and discussed why Liverpool struggles on the road. He also vented frustrations on giving up the game-winner and Liverpool's failure to take advantage of set pieces.
Klopp points to several situations that if they had turned out differently, so would have the result.
“I think this game was decided in six or seven situations,” Klopp said. “One was the set-piece they used and the other situations with the set-pieces we didn't use. That it will be a difficult game for us was clear. Away, Nottingham, we were not in a great situation. We had a super-intense week for us, two super-intense games.[We] had to change late, so it was clear that we have to be ready to put a big fight in. The boys did. But how we cannot score from the set-pieces, I have no idea. That's it now, pretty much. So the performance I can explain, the result not really, to be honest.”
Liverpool has still yet to win on the road in EPL this season, but Klopp insists that there is no trend developing away from Anfield.
“You cannot compare these games,” he said. “That it's better for us to play at home, that's pretty much always the case, but I think in normal circumstances we should have won this game today and then we talk differently. But we didn't, you're right, but I don't think that it has anything to do with that we played here away or whatever. It's just the situation.”
Nottingham Forest's goal game on a set piece that was given after a Joe Gomez foul as he once again struggled in defense as he has at times this season.
“That goal was definitely avoidable,” Klopp said. “That is clear. I think two incredible saves on ours. I think the others were the better chances when we just missed the goal. I think Virgil in the first half thought he was offside, which he wasn't. There is no real reason for it, it is just in that moment – these boys, how often did Bobby Firmino score from these moments? How often did Virgil Van Dijk put these balls in the back of the net? There is no real explanation for it.”
It's not often that Klopp is at a loss for words in his pre or post-match pressers, but the boss seemed to be as stunned as Reds' supporters at this result. Even so, his analysis of the match was accurate. That Gomez foul did lead directly to the decisive goal and Liverpool had several inexplicable misses on the other end. Now all that's left to do is pick up the pieces and see if the team can salvage a place in the Champions League knockout stages in the next match.
