Jurgen Klopp gave a blended overview of Liverpool’s efficiency as they beat West Ham 1-0 at Anfield, however was filled with reward for his aspect’s last-ditch defending.
Listed below are three key issues from Klopp’s post-match press convention…
Final-ditch blocks are ‘like targets’
Although Liverpool emerged with the three factors, that was removed from a foregone conclusion over the course of 95 minutes, with the Reds needing the dig deep to seal a outcome.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Naby Keita had been all required to make late interventions – which Klopp insisted was “like scoring a objective.”
“All these conditions had been, for me, like scoring a objective, to be sincere. Inside, it’s precisely the identical significance for me,” he mentioned.
“If the organisation is mistaken for the second, it doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t defend the state of affairs.
“You simply should do it another way – and we did that right here fairly nicely.”
Evolving the assault was “vital”
Whereas Saturday noticed each Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah begin, there’s a clear shift in emphasis on the subject of Liverpool’s assault with new faces being introduced in.
Forward of a summer season that sees Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino all enter the ultimate yr of their contract, Klopp has described this injection of recent expertise as “vital” as he establishes “correct high quality in depth.”
“It was vital [to sign Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz]. We can not rely [solely] on these boys,” he mentioned.
“And we have now, on prime of that, Divock Origi and Taki Minamino. We had Shaqiri right here, so all sensible gamers who helped us, clearly, to win the issues we gained up to now.
“However clearly we have to usher in high quality and contemporary power, and that’s what we tried.
“And it appears prefer it labored out, we now have correct high quality in depth.”
No points with Trent’s defending
Alexander-Arnold produced his sixteenth help of the season for Mane’s winner, and in doing so, broke his personal report for many in a single marketing campaign.
However he was additionally required on the different finish, most notably with a goal-line clearance following Pablo Fornals’ lob, with Klopp defying criticism of his right-back’s defensive work.
“If he couldn’t defend he wouldn’t play, particularly not in that place,” he defined.
“His defending will not be an issue we have now.”
