Jurgen Klopp Says Defeat to Newcastle United Exposes 'Crazy' Liverpool Hype

Jurgen Klopp Says Defeat to Newcastle United Exposes 'Crazy' Liverpool Hype

Jurgen Klopp Says Defeat to Newcastle United Exposes 'Crazy' Liverpool Hype

Jurgen Klopp looks on after Liverpool's 2-0 loss
to Newcastle United in the English Premier
League.
Newcastle United Liverpool
English Premier League Football
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Jurgen Klopp Says Defeat to
Newcastle United Exposes 'Crazy'
Liverpool Hype
Sunday's defeat to Newcastle United, inflicted
by a Martin Skrtel own goal and a late Georginio
Wijnaldum strike, left Liverpool six points off the
top four in seventh place and Jurgen Klopp said
it was a timely reminder of the improvements
that his team still have to make.
Agence France-Presse
Monday, 07 December, 2015 09:11 IST
Newcastle: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp
voiced hope that his team's 2-0 defeat at
Newcastle United would puncture some of the
giddiness engendered by their recent
resurgence.
Liverpool were elevated to potential Premier
League champions by some observers following
a run of seven wins in eight games in all
competitions, which saw them move to within
sight of the Champions League places.
But Sunday's defeat, inflicted by a Martin Skrtel
own goal and a late Georginio Wijnaldum strike,
left them six points off the top four in seventh
place and Klopp said it was a timely reminder of
the improvements that his team still have to
make.
"If you think after a few weeks everything is
perfect, it's a little bit crazy, no?" the German
told his post-match press conference.
On suggestions that his team had played their
way into the title picture, he gestured to the
journalists sitting in front of him and said:
"Everybody on this side of the table, maybe.
"I didn't hear anybody on this side (his side) of
the table talk about this.
"I have no problem with everything you can talk
about, but please don't ask me because of this.
I didn't say before, so why should I explain now
why we are not?
"We feel this defeat. We know it's deserved, but
it hurts, like it should."
The key, Klopp said, was "not going nuts when
you win, not getting crazy when you lose".
"It's not a reality check," he added. "It's only a
bad game."
Liverpool had won 6-1 at Southampton in the
League Cup on Wednesday, but a side showing
six changes toiled badly at St James' Park,
registering only one attempt on target.
Wijnaldum's shot was turned in for an own goal
by Skrtel in the 69th minute and with the
visitors pushing for an equaliser, Moussa
Sissoko freed Wijnaldum to loft a sweet finish
over Simon Mignolet in added time.
Klopp was frustrated that Alberto Moreno had
seen a lobbed effort chalked off for a
questionable offside call at 1-0 -- he called it a
"world-class goal" -- but he also found a partial
explanation for his side's disappointing display
in the failure of their high press.
Asked what had gone wrong, he replied: "Nearly
everything. The start, the middle and the end.
"Open game, with no rhythm from our side. Our
defending in the last line was good. Our midfield
pressing was not good. I couldn't see offensive
pressing."
Where Klopp has been praised to the rafters in
recent weeks, his Newcastle counterpart Steve
McClaren has had nothing but bad press after
seeing his side slip into the relegation zone.
They remain in the bottom three, on goal
difference, but McClaren expressed optimism
that his side's performance would prove a
"lightbulb moment" in their season.
Newcastle had lost 3-0 at home to Leicester
City and 5-1 at Crystal Palace on their two
previous outings, prompting speculation that
McClaren's position was in peril.
He cracked a joke when asked to confirm
reports that he had contemplated leaving out
Wijnaldum, replying: "I considered leaving out
every one of them."
Instead, he made only one change to the team
humiliated by Palace, Siem de Jong taking the
place of Ayoze Perez, and said the upturn in
performance proved that Newcastle already
possess all the raw materials they need to get
themselves out of their current predicament.
"We've had a tough week in terms of that,
looking at various things, changing the team and
changing personnel," said the former England
manager.
"We just said, look, that team that started more
or less the last six, seven games -- before the
last two -- were collecting points and playing
well.
"And it was just a case of people working hard,
outrunning opponents, winning your duels, being
competitive.
"We've pointed out why we lost the last two
games and we gave everybody an opportunity to
put that right. They've done that."