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Jurgen Klopp defended his decision to rotate after Liverpool suffered a disappointing defeat in the Champions League, saying: “I would do it again.”
Two goals in four minutes into the second half from Josip Ilicic and Robin Gosens left the Reds in a 2-0 home loss to Atalanta on Wednesday night.
Klopp made five changes from the team that beat Leicester City at the weekend, with Fabinho, Andy Robertson, Roberto Firmino and Diogo Jota all on the bench.
But with the Reds boss dealing with an injury crisis and a busy schedule, he supported his renewed team.
“We made five changes and it was very important to us that we did,” Klopp said.
“In the end it didn’t work out and that’s part of the deal.
“You never know before (what will happen). And I would do it again anyway. “
Klopp added: “Making all five changes means we didn’t have a real pace, which we can usually get during the game.
“The first half was not a good game, Atalanta was not good either.
“We talked about it and we thought that in the second half maybe we can do better, but it didn’t seem like it and that’s why we changed early, but unfortunately a second before the changes scored the goal.
“It was in a space that we knew they would try to use, we didn’t defend it at the time. The second was similar and we didn’t believe it. If you don’t have a target shot, that’s never a good sign. “
Liverpool had won 5-0 against Atalanta in Italy earlier this month, but they rarely seemed to score as they suffered only their second loss in 90 minutes of the season.
And Klopp explained: “It’s a combination of many things. The rival defended well and was aggressive.
“We don’t use the specifics of his defense. They were men’s marks, and you have to move the players, open spaces and pass the ball there. We use it very well in Bergamo.
“It’s about making decisions and tonight our decision making was not that good.”
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Despite the loss, Liverpool continue to lead Group D by two points from both Ajax and Atalanta, and a draw against the former next Tuesday at Anfield in their penultimate group match would ensure advancement to the round of 16.
However, Klopp is only focused on quick change with his team at Brighton and Hove Albion in Saturday’s Premier League game.
“Ajax will be challenging, with all the challenges that we face in this country on top of the normal challenges that we already have,” he said.
“My concern is not Ajax, sorry. We’re going to Brighton in a few hours and we play there. That’s the first thing we have to think about, and when that game is over, we start thinking about Ajax. “
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