Klopp got this one all wrong: Three things we learned about Liverpool from loss v Southampton
By Alex Stevens
Football Insider analyses three things talking points from Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat against Southampton on Wednesday night.
Proper cup tie
The EFL Cup might not have the prestige of the bigger competitions, but try telling that to the players and fans tonight. The Liverpool fans are desperate for a trophy, as is Klopp, and they were in fine voice tonight as they willed their team to reel in the one-goal deficit. As for Southampton, a mid-table finish in the Premier League and the EFL Cup would represent a good bit of business for the season, and the net result was a captivating cup-tie under the lights of a noisy Anfield.
Sturridge is greedy
Normally that wouldn’t be such a bad thing for your prolific striker, but the way Sturridge plays is in complete contrast to the style of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho. You can’t blame him for wanting to take his chances with both hands, but he’d look like a much better player if he had the awareness of where his team-mates were, and when they were in a better position than him. The one guilt-edged chance he had in the second half, he blazed over when it would have been easier to score.
Klopp got this one all wrong
Southampton haven’t conceded a goal in the EFL Cup this season, which is an incredible statistic, but one that Liverpool should have paid more attention to – especially as the two previous games against this opposition this season had seen Liverpool fail to score too. The first half performance was too cautious and actually Southampton had by far the best chance of the 45, with only some brilliant goalkeeping by Loris Karius keeping the scores level. Liverpool have been the best attacking team in the Premier League this season, but you wouldn’t have known it from their display today. And Klopp has to take the blame for not coming up with the tactics to unlock a resolute Southampton team, missing their star defender Virgil van Dijk. It wasn’t a surprise how they were going to set themselves up, but they did it well. Tonight, Sturridge was the wrong man, in the wrong team, at the wrong time.
In other Liverpool news, a reliable journalist believes Klopp will target this Bundesliga attacker in the summer.
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