Klopp pleased with performance as Liverpool crash out of Europa League at Atalanta

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Klopp pleased with performance as Liverpool crash out of Europa League at Atalanta  Gewiss Stadium, Stadio di Bergamo, Italy

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00:00 >> Good evening.

00:20 If you could raise your hand for asking a question and we'll get the mic to you as soon as we can.

00:27 >> It was there in the first half and that was when the opportunity was...

00:33 >> Yeah, I love the way we started the game.

00:36 I said that now a couple of times, I had already a few interviews.

00:40 You know it anyway, we didn't lose the game tonight or the tie tonight, we lost it at home.

00:45 That's why we have to and it's very easy to congratulate Atalanta-Bergamo,

00:51 because they deserve to go through.

00:55 When you win a tie against us 3-1 in this way, you deserve to go through, absolutely.

01:03 But I loved our game anyway, especially the start.

01:06 We were flying into this game and I loved the commitment, the desire,

01:10 the power we developed in this game.

01:14 But it was clear we better score from time to time to interrupt these kind of things,

01:20 otherwise it could be a bit tricky to keep that over 90 minutes.

01:24 But it always is a second goal, it would have helped probably a little bit

01:30 if that would have been the decisive thing, because you saw Atalanta started very strong,

01:35 confident, but with the few situations we had I think we gave them some concerns.

01:46 Let me say it like that.

01:48 They realised then as well it will not be easy, and that's the game we gave them.

01:52 I'm really fine with that.

01:55 Disappointed that we didn't go through, but not frustrated or angry or something like that.

02:01 Now we can focus on the league and that's what we will do.

02:04 We have a few days to recover, we'll do that and travel the day after tomorrow to London

02:12 and we'll play full-time, which will be tricky, but we will give our absolute all.

02:17 That's our competition now, I saw a good reaction from my side.

02:20 Not a great week last week, obviously, this was the start for the rest of the season

02:26 with a good result and a good performance, and that's how we see it.

02:29 I think that between the first half and the second half

02:44 there was much difference in the Atalanta interpretation of the game.

02:48 I ask you if you agree with me, and what has made the game most difficult

02:52 in the second half for Liverpool?

02:54 The biggest problem for us in the second half was that we couldn't keep that tempo.

02:59 For us, you saw tonight Trent Alexander-Arnold, a player we didn't have for a while now,

03:04 and as long as he was fresh, together with Maka, he set the tempo, the rhythm,

03:11 the direction of the game, and obviously he was a bit running out of gas.

03:16 Maka had to go through this game, which is crazy, and the way he did it is absolutely insane,

03:22 but that was the difference.

03:24 I really think if we could have kept this kind of tempo - we can do that usually,

03:32 tonight it was not that easy - if we could have kept a high rhythm a bit longer,

03:37 I think whatever Atalanta changed in the second half, that's now not.

03:42 In the first half they pressed really high, but they did in the end again,

03:47 in the middle of the game maybe not as much, so that's how it is.

03:51 But that was not the difference.

03:53 I think tonight when we were really in the game, we were difficult to play,

03:58 in other moments we were easier to defend, and that's it.

04:02 We didn't have enough chances.

04:04 As I said, we had to create a little bit more than we did in the first half already,

04:10 because it's always clear, you need a result to help destabilise the opponent a little bit.

04:18 If you have a second goal, that's a tricky one, then each ball can...

04:22 The next goal is extra time, but we didn't get to that point,

04:26 so we'll never really know how that would have looked.

04:31 But again, as I said, Atalanta deserve to go through, so I'm fine with that.

04:35 We want to go through if we don't deserve it, so it's all good.

04:41 Hi, Jürgen. Are you particularly concerned about Mo Salah's form of late,

04:55 or is he just feeling the effects of a long season with AFCON as well?

05:00 I'm not particularly concerned, that's what strikers do,

05:03 that's what happens to strikers, that's how it is.

05:06 We have to go through this, AS has to go through that,

05:09 he's one of the most experienced players we have in the squad.

05:12 We will go through that, but that's pretty much all.

05:15 It's not that Mo didn't miss chances before in his life, that's part of the game now.

05:21 The penalty was super-convincing, and then the next chance,

05:29 obviously that was unlucky, but it's not the first time he missed a chance like that.

05:34 I don't make a big story of it, what you make of it, I have no influence obviously,

05:39 but I'm not particularly concerned.

05:41 Good evening, boss. I would like to ask you about,

05:51 at this exact moment of the season, after so many months,

05:55 is it more about who wins the game, who is less tired, both mentally and physically,

06:02 than about some sophisticated tactical plans?

06:05 Is it about tiredness?

06:10 No, it's always a mix of all. Imagine we would not be tired and had a shit tactical plan.

06:16 So, not sophisticated, obviously.

06:19 Or the other way around, if a great plan and now tired, very tired,

06:24 it's not about that, we will fight through that, believe it or not, we will go for it.

06:29 Who will ever win this league? It is the best league in the world.

06:33 I watch a lot of football, and when you watch the league, whatever other leagues say,

06:38 and Italy improved a lot over the years, and again, back to best pretty much,

06:44 Spain is obviously fantastic, Bundesliga is there, all this kind of France,

06:48 they play good football everywhere, but the Premier League is the most intense league, definitely.

06:53 Now, besides Aston Villa, I think all teams are out in the quarter-final.

06:58 Without me saying it, maybe somebody writes an article tomorrow about that,

07:03 at one point we had last week, it was a decision that because of more international games

07:09 there is no FA Cup replay anymore.

07:12 I only saw a few comments, "Of course, play the second semi-final as well,

07:20 "and the extra games internationally, and then wait how long English clubs will be in international football."

07:27 It's just tricky, but thank God it's not my problem anymore,

07:31 it was my last international game, so I will watch it...

07:36 Yeah, and hopefully not speak any more about these kinds of things.

07:43 So, it is a tough period and it has to be tough.

07:48 We are going for three teams to win the Premier League,

07:53 so if that would be easy then something would be completely wrong.

07:57 But it was always a mix of sophisticated plans and physical and mental freshness.

08:05 Thank you.

08:08 Thank you.

08:09 Thank you.

08:10 Thank you.

08:11 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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