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ReactionJürgen Klopp press conference: Forest win, Diaz support and Mac Allister performance
The Reds made it three wins in eight days at Anfield across all competitions thanks to goals from Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah.
After victories over Everton and Toulouse in the Premier League and Europa League respectively, Klopp's men extended their 100 per cent winning run on Merseyside this season to eight games.
Read on for a round-up of what the boss had to say in his post-match media briefing, as he discussed the result against Forest, his support for Luis Diaz's ongoing family situation in Colombia, and more.
On it being a complete performance from his team...
Yeah, I told the boys after the game the best thing you can say after a game like this [is] that we played really good and there's so much space for improvement. Still, that's obvious as well, the goals were fantastic, the patience we showed, the fluidity in a lot of moments on the ball, a lot of moments, the creative, the togetherness in how we connected with each other was really good, the goals we scored, I'm not sure, 70, or something, per cent possession, didn't look at it, but the first goal was a counter-attack.
So, really good, the third goal was a counter-attack as well, by the way, the second goal was a wonderful team play. So, yeah, good, absolutely good game and the question will come anyway, so I can give the answer immediately, the preparation was the most difficult I ever had in my life. Didn't expect that, was not prepared for it, I don't want to make the game bigger than it was, but it was definitely. We tried to help Lucho with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help, we cannot really help, so the only thing we can do is fight for him and that's what the boys did.
On when he found out about the situation with Diaz...
We heard last night late about it. Then we spoke to Lucho; [he] wanted to go home, [we] sent people with him, have people there who take care, there's part of families there as well so that's why they want to be together. Absolutely understandable. Then we got the news with [his] mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really. They work on it, clearly. By some distance we are obviously not the first people who get informed but we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don't want to disturb in any way. [We're] not the important people there. We just want to support. That's it.
On Jota holding up a Diaz shirt after his goal...
Yeah, so how can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It's really difficult. I never struggled with that in my life. It was always my safe place, sometimes my hiding, as a player or as a coach, you are allowed during these 90 minutes just to focus on that and it was impossible. Absolutely impossible to do that. It was clear we have to give the game an extra sense and it was fighting for Lucho, then the boys put out the shirt and I was not 100 per cent prepared for that, to be honest. It was really touching but wonderful as well. So, yeah, that's it.
On why he feels Liverpool still need to improve...
We had a lot of strange games, let me say it like this, where we had 10 men, fight back, turn it around, these kind of things. Controlling a game was not that often necessary. Two-nil up [today] was the situation and being completely dominant in the game, then staying in the game, keep the ball moving, stay compact, don't give them any kind of counter-attacks, corner kicks and that's the moment. You might remember, three or four years ago - I don't know exactly, maybe longer - when we all of sudden became slightly better, more dominant and then were leading at home and always came under pressure. Like 1-0 up meant nothing, everybody thought, 'Oh my god, 1-0... 10 minutes to go...' We were all halfway to seeing the equaliser coming and that's a situation you have to grow into.
The boys showed wonderful signs in all aspects, all aspects really, but that's something we now have to learn again. The key positions are obviously occupied by different players than at that time, pretty much everywhere - up front, midfield, last line. If you want it's Virg, Trent, Mo and Ali - so four players and all the rest around are slightly different. That's where there is space for improvement. Creating without losing the compactness is pretty much the idea behind. If you have to chase a game, it's obviously a completely different task. If it's an open game then it's a different task, but if you are really in control then why should you not stay in control? The last five minutes before half-time, all of a sudden we were a bit too deep and they just could chip the balls there. One-on-one situation... we won the situation but then it was a corner or a throw-in, which is by the way pretty much the same for Nottingham Forest, and these are the moments where we have to improve, clearly. In creative things, you always can improve. That is always possible because the boys have a lot of potential so we have to use it fully.
On Alexis Mac Allister's performance in the No.6 role...
It's obviously not really a discussion we have otherwise we wouldn't play him there. I think today everyone could see the benefit of a player who comes from the offensive side of the game than from the other side. In a game where you have to create things, where you have to pass, where you have to switch sides. That's how it is then because not all balls reached the target. If you try something in tight spaces that's completely normal, I have no problem at all with losing balls around the box because that's where we should be then for counter-pressing and that can happen.
I am really pleased for him and [he had] a lot of defensively top moments, really killed the counter and stuff like this. He was really there. He's good in these things, that's why we play him there. In one-on-one situations he is really good and we have to make sure as a team that the spaces are really small in these moments. We can do that with the eights, with the wingers and with the central striker. We can do that with centre-halves who defend into midfield in these moments. Then we have just a really creative player in the centre of the park together with Trent in some moments, which is helpful. Very helpful.
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