Chelsea 2-0 Liverpool: Jürgen Klopp's reaction
Jürgen Klopp acknowledged Liverpool must make improvements defensively if they're to return to top form after they were beaten 2-0 by Chelsea in the FA Cup on Tuesday night.
The Reds bowed out at the fifth-round stage after goals from Willian and Ross Barkley secured victory for the hosts at Stamford Bridge.
Willian opened the scoring in the 13th minute of the tie before Barkley's second-half run and finish confirmed the Blues' spot in the quarter-finals of the competition.
Read on for a summary of Klopp's post-match press conference...
On his thoughts on the game…
Losing 2-0 is not cool, but in this case it is relatively easy to explain – we made two massive mistakes around the goals. Adrian made a super save a second or two seconds before and then this ball, a really good shot from Willian and he could not make that save. But before that we lost the ball and that's a problem. It was not the biggest shock because it is football. I liked the reaction, liked the way we played, some good stuff, it was a super-intense game and both teams were really running like mad. It was clear it would be difficult, but we had our moments, we had good chances, especially the one where I don't know who saved the balls – a defender or the goalie or whatever – when we shot three or four times. We conceded a second one and that didn't help obviously and it was then a bit more difficult to take. Chelsea defended with all they had, threw the bodies in, really physical. We couldn't score, they couldn't score and so the game finished with 2-0 and we are out of the competition, which is the opposite of what we wanted.
On three defeats in the last four matches…
Look, it went our way for so long because we defended outstandingly. Usually you don't get a lot of chances against us and stuff like this, but now we have to admit that in the last three games – [maybe] four – we have conceded absolutely too many goals, that's true. From completely different situations, so it is not one problem, but we see it as well. I am not worried about the momentum – momentum is not something you get as a present, you have to get it to keep it. We have always a chance to get it back. No, I am not concerned about the momentum, but it is football and we never thought it would be an easy season, it would be an easy period, it would be an easy game tonight. Nothing, it was always clear it would be difficult – it was always clear it was difficult. We did very well, but tonight not good enough in decisive moments and that's what we have to accept.
On the recent performances of his side…
The performance tonight was completely different [than] at Watford. Against Watford it was really bad, tonight it was not bad. Tonight it was a really super-intense game. We made seven changes and we knew it would be intense and that's why we made the changes because it was clear a lot of sprints, spaces in midfield. How Chelsea plays, how we want to play, it was clear you need accelerations constantly. They offer that constantly and that's why we had to make the changes, or we thought we have to make them. That performance tonight, I am not concerned about [it]. That's football, if you make decisive mistakes then you lose football games.
On managing the minutes of his players at this stage of the season…
There are not that many competitions for us anymore. That's probably the last week we have to manage it. When the Atletico game is over, it was then, I think, four games in 12 days if I'm 100 per cent right – I'm not sure. Now it depends on how far we can go in the Champions League. If we can go through or not, we don't know that yet. We are used to managing that and we are used to doing it. Look, Curtis showed so many things tonight where everybody thought, 'Wow, what a player'. Yes, and then you lose the ball, that's a learning process, that's learning. You cannot learn it at home in the living room, you have to learn on the pitch and you have to react on it, that's how it is.
Neco played a super game tonight, so showed obviously that we can really have a second full-back coming, which helps us massively for the future. Taki played a really good game, we could have used him much more often. If Neco sees him once or twice, he was completely free at the edge when he shot the cross more or less in – seeing him would have helped, of course. So many good things. Adam running like crazy. Fabinho, he had to play and that's how it is. He was the one who had to stay on the pitch and play the game. You see a lot of good things, better rhythm but then he loses that ball and even experienced players have to deal with it. That's football, that's how it is. How I said, we always have to deal with this, it's not the first time.
On the amount of goals conceded and scored in the last three matches…
Look, it's alright. The numbers are there, the facts are there, that's all clear. I knew that before. It's much more easier to explain when you win than explain when you lose obviously. I have not a lot of arguments. I cannot say, 'No, you are not right' or whatever. It's a free world, you can interpret like you want. But I can only speak about what I see. I see them numbers, I know them, that's not cool. We don't want to concede that many, it's not that we don't want to score again. I don't sit here and think, 'OK, the way back to the moment where we can score or we don't concede is like 100 miles away'. It's little things, but the little things make the difference. The boys are strong, they showed so many times a wonderful reaction and now we have to show this reaction again. That's all.