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Defeat with a punch to the face – Klopp
Manager Jurgen Klopp called Liverpool’s loss to Burnley a “massive blow to the face” but took full responsibility for Thursday’s 1-0 loss at Anfield.
The champions claimed their first top flight title in the past 30 years, but have fallen significantly this season, six points behind leaders Manchester United and winless in five games.
The Reds appeared to be getting it right on December 19 when they defeated Crystal Palace 7-0, but have not won since.
“It is difficult, it is not easy to explain,” Klopp told BBC Sport. “These guys are not the type of person who after 7-0 thinks ‘let’s go like this’, they worked hard tonight and it didn’t happen.
“If something doesn’t work, you have to try harder, more often, longer. It was not easy to lose that match and we did it.
“If I sit here now, losing to Burnley and not scoring in the last four games and talking about the title race, what nonsense would that be?”
So where have Liverpool fared?
‘Trust is a little flower and someone has stamped it’
Liverpool’s last loss at home came 1,370 days ago against Palace in April 2017, and this time it was undone with a late penalty from Ashley Barnes.
It was their first league loss at Anfield in 69 games, the second-longest unbeaten streak in the top flight behind Chelsea, who managed 86 games before their streak ended in October 2008.
Despite missing injured defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, their problems lie at the other end of the field, where they tend to be so efficient.
Since Sadio Mane scored in a 1-1 draw against West Brom on December 27, Liverpool have had 87 shots on goal in the Premier League without scoring, including 27 against Burnley, although they beat Aston Villa 4-1 in the FA Cup.
Despite that Cup success, they have failed to score in their last four league games, with two goalless draws and two 1-0 losses, and coach Klopp hasn’t been that long without his team scoring. since 2006 when he was coach of Mainz.
Klopp, who left star forwards Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino on the bench for the first 57 minutes against Burnley, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “It’s my fault and that’s the way it is. We have to make better decisions, we have to do things. correct more often.
“These guys are capable of it, but obviously after not scoring for a while, it’s not like they’re full of confidence. You can see it.
“And people say ‘how can they not be full of confidence, did they win this and that last year?’
“But trust is like a small flower, obviously someone has stamped it. Right now, we have to find a new one and we will, but for tonight, it wasn’t enough.
“In the last third, the decision making is not as it should be. Everyone will talk about it, which makes the problem not smaller but bigger.”
Liverpool in the top four in danger? Liverpool have conceded two penalties at Anfield this season
The Reds are fourth in the table, one point above Tottenham, who they will face in their next league game on January 28 after Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round tie against Manchester United.
After the Spurs, they face a tough streak of matches against West Ham, Brighton, Manchester City, Leicester and Everton.
Former Anfield defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports: “Liverpool are so poor in the future. They have been far from where they have been in recent years.
“At the moment, it seems that the title is slipping away. Six points can still be recovered but, with the form and the matches, Liverpool could be concerned.” [losing] the first four positions instead of the title.
“They have a lot to think about, you can’t help but wonder what went wrong. I can’t remember a time when this Liverpool was so out of shape.”
Former Reds coach and fellow Sky expert Graeme Souness added: “It’s been coming. Liverpool have been a shadow of the last three years. Dull, they were flat.”
“This will be a real test, Jurgen will find what he has in that locker room. So many expectations and they haven’t managed it very well, that’s what makes you a special team.”
‘Something missing from this team’ – analysis
Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson on BBC Radio 5 Live: “There were too many occasions for Liverpool where they had an extra touch, their cross into the box was not particularly good, the passing in general was not good.
“Liverpool’s full-backs are not contributing as much to forwards because the teams have figured out how to play against them. Also, serving from midfield without Fabinho and Jordan Henderson is not the same.
“The problem for Liverpool is that they are not creating enough clear chances. Why? I honestly don’t know. Jurgen Klopp and his coaches will know something is missing from this team at this point.”
Source: bbc.com
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