'Like a catastrophe' - Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp blames season implosion on Man Utd

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has revealed the extent of the damage that their recent results at Old Trafford against Manchester United have had on his side’s season. 

The Merseyside club lost 4-3 to the Red Devils after extra time in the FA Cup in mid-March. They then drew 2-2 earlier this month and missed a hatful of chances in both outings.  Liverpool’s chances of winning the Premier League were dented over the weekend after they lost 1-0 at home to Crystal Palace. Eberechi Eze scored the winner for the Eagles in the first-half. 

Klopp believes his team’s results against United have really hurt their chances of success. After all, they were knocked out of the cup by United and then dropped big points against them in their quest for the title. 

He has said: “I am not 100 percent sure in general how we dealt with the United games particularly helped. We lost the game in the cup and it was like a catastrophe because we were that good and lost it anyway and then we draw there and were really good and draw it anyway. The problems we had in the United game were completely different to the things we had today. Yes, the goals we concede are too easy.”

“We were always too wide,” he added. “The goal we concede, it ends up with Eze completely free in the box and that cannot happen. Let me say it like that, if you press 80 per cent, you better don’t because it makes no sense. In more than 20 years when you watch my teams, the press and counter press is pretty good, some days it is outstanding. In the first half, it was nothing and then we were 1-0 down.”

He added: “Of course you have to ask these questions of what it means for the title race, I am not dumb. The answer is pretty easy: if we play like we did in the first half, how should we win the league? If we play it like in the second half, we can win football games. If we can win football games, we will see how many we can win and then we have to we have to be around when the other guys struggle, if they struggle.

“For us, obviously we have to win games anyway. We have now a string of away games. That would have been tough anyway, it will be tough but we know that. We have to deal with that, and that is the easy thing. Now there is nothing else.”

Liverpool have a big decision to make on who to bring in as their new manager. Klopp is leaving at the end of this campaign and will be taking a break from the game for 12 months at least. 

United have proved in their last two matches against their rivals that they can compete with them, especially with the fans behind them at Old Trafford. For Erik ten Hag’s side, it is all about finding that consistency which is something they have really lacked this term. 

They drew 2-2 away at AFC Bournemouth over the weekend. They are back in action next Sunday in their FA Cup semi-final clash against Coventry City of the Championship at Wembley.