Jürgen Klopp has blamed himself for Liverpool’s damaging end-of-season slump despite almost singing “We want to see you fight” at his players for the first time in his managerial career during their derby defeat by Everton.
The Liverpool manager insists he is responsible for failing to galvanise his team into attacking the title run-in with their usual brand of “positive football”. Wednesday’s 2-0 loss at Goodison Park, which may well have ruined Liverpool’s title prospects, left Klopp more frustrated and disappointed after a defeat than he can ever remember. “I hated our game,” he said on Friday, when his despondency remained clear.
Klopp admitted he felt a burden for how his final season as Liverpool manager is in danger of petering out. “I do,” he said. “It’s difficult to explain but I hated our game. We were not even close to what we want to be. Somehow it happened that we didn’t see the positivity in the situation any more, that we have a good starting point, so let’s go and chase the others. But you can only chase in a positive way.
“You saw the game. It wasn’t the first [poor] one but it was the worst one. Crystal Palace wasn’t even close. I see two teams [Arsenal and Manchester City] who play really positive football and go for it. We can do that but we don’t in this moment. Who can I make responsible for that? It’s my job until the last day to make sure the boys feel that.
“The game was just horrible to watch. In Germany when the crowd is not happy with the team and think they are not fighting enough they sing ‘Wir wollen euch kämpfen sehen’ which translates as ‘We want to see you fight’. I was close to singing that! Never has one of my teams heard that ever. Never. I never heard them say my team didn’t fight because my team always went for it. And now, wow, how can that happen?”
Klopp was seen on TV giving a wry smile after the Everton goals. He had a similar reaction after Eberechi Eze’s winner for Palace at Anfield, mouthing “Wow”, and says Liverpool’s defending of late has left him incredulous.
“Trust me, I don’t know what I thought at these moments but the [first Everton] goal was a joke,” he said. “It’s just what happens when you are not yourself. We could have cleared over the stand five times and in the end [Jarrad] Branthwaite mishits the ball and it rolls in. You can laugh about it but it was incredible. We made mistakes before in other seasons but you have to fight against that.
“But much more important is that you create a basis for most of the season until the finishing line is in sight and then you go for it. That should be the most positive thing. And we did that in the past, winning all the games [in the run-in] and now we can’t do it for a variety of reasons. Now we have to find a lineup, a way, to do much better at West Ham.”
