Jürgen Klopp feels Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid remains far from decided, despite a 1-0 first-leg defeat for his side in Spain on Tuesday evening.
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Saul Niguez’s fourth-minute goal at Estadio Metropolitano will see the La Liga team head to Anfield with a slender advantage for the return fixture on March 11.
The Reds had 73 per cent of possession in the encounter but were ultimately unable to find a way through the spirited Atletico rearguard.
Read on for a summary of Klopp’s post-match press conference in Madrid.
On the result
We lost the game and I don’t want to talk in the first moments about the ref or decisions or stuff like this. Atletico scored the goal, it was not directly the situation – it was a throw-in, then became a corner and then it was a goal. Would I have loved to have got the throw-in? Yes, but that’s how it is. It made our lives not easier tonight because Atletico were here to squeeze a result out of this game. Coming here and having 70 per cent possession is exceptional, our build-up was outstanding against a high-press team; it was, for me, next level, to be honest – it was the best we did for a long time. Counter-press was exceptional, the intensity of the game and how we could go was absolutely how it should be, put the opponent under pressure in the last third, but we were not clear enough. We had not enough clear-cut chances. We had chances, not enough but that’s normal, I would say. To stay in a game like this is, for us, development. We had games in atmospheres like this when we lost the focus a little bit and then they could score a second one or whatever. That didn’t really look like [happening] tonight. So now it is half-time, we are 1-0 down. We would not give up if we had 15 minutes of half-time, so why should we give up when we have three weeks? Even better, the second half will be played in a different stadium, in our stadium, and that will be different as well. Atletico will feel that and that’s what we are looking forward to.
On his decision to substitute Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah
It is obviously part of football. I don’t like that. Obviously, the plan tonight was get Sadio out of the game with a yellow card. I was afraid his opponent would go down now even if Sadio takes a deep breath or whatever and I didn’t want to have that situation, so that’s why we took him off. Mo was just a tactical change, that’s all. We wanted to change a little bit and that’s what we did.
On the tie being at the ‘half-time’ stage, with the second leg to come
I have no problem with the result. If you are 1-0 down at half-time in a normal game, you would say, ‘OK, we change this and this and that’ and then we would give it a try. We will give it a try – 100 per cent – in the next game as well. I saw so many happy faces tonight from Atletico and all that stuff, I get that because it is a big win but it is not over yet and that’s the only thing I feel. The atmosphere, I think it was difficult to deal with the atmosphere tonight – and I don’t say the header was because of that, we just misjudged it. The throw-in was because of that, they just didn’t see it or whatever. But a lot of our situations were after 30 minutes, I think three Atletico players were already really on the ground and not injured. The ref just needs to feel the game a little bit more, how I think. It was clear the crowd wanted to help tonight, in a different way to how our crowd helps us but it is still help obviously. It’s a very emotional game and we had to try to be really calm to make the right decisions and I liked a lot of parts of our game, really. Of course, we have to be better in the final third and we will try it.
On whether he was ‘disappointed’ with his side’s performance
I am not disappointed about how we played, I saw much worse games in my life. It was absolutely OK. How I said, we were not good enough in the last third, that’s it. I didn’t expect that we would have around about 70 per cent possession. I actually thought we would have a little bit more of the game, but we are not surprised. 1-0 and you are not in the best moment, you try to defend it with all you have and that’s what they did. That’s absolutely OK, I respect that a lot, but of course it is only 1-0. We are not 5-0 down or whatever. We think we have a chance, we don’t think it will be easy, not at all because Atletico will probably have back Joao Felix, Diego Costa in different circumstances and we have to see who we can line up because a lot can happen until then because there are a lot of games. But, as long as we can get 11 players in a Liverpool shirt, we will try it with all we have. For all Atletico fans who can get a ticket for the game, welcome to Anfield.
On what Liverpool have to do in the second leg..
The concentration level of the Atletico defence was exceptional tonight, I have to say. Yes, they defend with a big heart, but the concentration level in this final third was really, really good. For us, we could have played better – we know that. We can hold the ball better. We know much more about the team now, you have to feel the team. I like half-time, to be honest, because you know more about the opponent. All the analysis never happens against you. We had a lot of Barcelona games but obviously Barcelona plays completely different to us, so they played different against Barcelona than they did against us because tonight was a home game. I think it was a little bit created like a turning point maybe for them if they win tonight for that and everything will be better after that. It felt a little bit like that.
We can play better in the final third, it’s not only that we have to do specific things better, but we can play better. That we know more about the opponent [is] what will help us, 100 per cent. Little details like how we pass the ball, the first touch was a lot of times not good from different players that we took wrong direction, so they could defend the crosses and all these things. But we did a lot of good stuff and at the end when you are in the box and can play one-twos and all that stuff and then bring a cross and you have a half-volley or whatever, that’s good football. Unfortunately, we were not lucky enough that one rolls over the line. Now imagine in the home game, we could score a goal whenever and then the atmosphere will help us as well because emotions are important. Tonight they were obviously completely on the side of Atletico. That’s why I say I’m really looking forward to the second leg.
On whether his side will need to be close to perfect in the return fixture..
I don’t know today exactly what we have to be. How I said, the intensity we put in the game in a stadium like this where they go constantly to the petrol station and we drive with one tank – emotions are like this. I’m not sure if Diego saw a lot of the game because he was constantly animating the crowd, but we have the other side. That changes, first and foremost, everything. We speak from time to time [about] the power of Anfield and the power of a stadium and what a stadium can have, tonight we saw it. The whole stadium only wanted a result, the stadium was not here for seeing sensational football. They wanted a result and they got the result, so they are now happy in this moment and we are not. But if we have to be perfect, we always try constantly to be perfect.
But I can already say five, six, seven things that we cannot easily do better, but can obviously do better. If we do that better then it will be much more difficult. But I have to say, there were a couple of good things that Atletico did. They only had long build-up but of course in a long build-up when Alvaro Morata is there, brings in a half-space. I think there were two situations, they scored the goal and the next situation we lose a second ball around one of these long build-ups. Apart from that, we had them pretty much where we wanted them. But we were 1-0 down and it doesn’t help. I’m not sure if it’s 0-0 tonight if that would have changed the game of Atletico tonight, I don’t know. But now they have the result and they have an advantage, but that’s all. Apart from that, we feel we are kind of in the game and that’s what we have to use. If Atletico will be better than us at Liverpool, we respect that and they are in the next round, well deserved. If not, we want to go there. And how much we want to go there, we will show after the first whistle of the second leg and not now in the press conference.
