Jurgen Klopp on learning from Liverpool’s defeat to Real Madrid, anticipating ‘bumpy’ season and ‘immense’ Mohamed Salah | Football News

Football has always been a mind-bending mix of immense highs and dramatic lows, perfectly epitomised by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool over the last 10 days or so.

Important Premier League wins against city rivals Everton and an in-form Newcastle saw their form boosted, before it came screeching to a halt against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.

Liverpool raced into a 2-0 lead in the last 16 first-leg encounter, but Real Madrid hit back with five goals, proving again what mentality monsters they are in the European competition.

Reflecting on the recent period, Klopp said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports: “The performances against Newcastle and Everton were much better than the games we played before. The start against Madrid was the next step.

“We want super strong opponents, but we were really in the game, it was super intense and we scored two goals – wonderful. Then we conceded a goal and the other thing that is obvious is we are not that stable yet.

“Of course, it’s not cool losing a game 5-2 and in football, these things can happen, especially when the opponent is as relaxed and confident as Real Madrid. They were not fussed by being 2-0 down – how many other teams do you know who don’t even react a little bit when they are 2-0 down?

“They had the same thing last year in the Champions League against Chelsea, Man City and PSG. Three times, from all the minutes they played, apart from five minutes altogether, they were out of the competition. In the end, they won the competition and that’s Real Madrid.

“It’s our job now to make sure we take these mistakes, learn from it, and take the good stuff as well. That’s my job and on Saturday, the whole world can watch if it worked out or not.”

Unfortunately, Tuesday’s result saw the same issues raise their head, the same grievances aired by pundits on TV and the same complaints from fans on social media.

For a team that for so long under Klopp was renowned for their goal threat, a lack of cutting-edge has been one such issue. Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo are starting to find their feet at Liverpool, while Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz have all struggled with injury.

That being said, there are signs that some cohesion is starting to form. Liverpool have had the third most shots (364), joint second most shots on target (130, with Man Utd and Tottenham) and third most touches in the opposition’s box (775) in the Premier League this season – but rank 12th for shot conversion at 10.4 per cent, the lowest in Klopp’s seven full seasons at the club.

In defence too, Liverpool have conceded 28 Premier League goals this year, already two more than the 26 they conceded in the 2021/22 season. It is the most the Reds conceded after 22 games since the 2015/16 campaign (also 28).

Of course, none of this is lost on Klopp and neither will the clamour to bring in new midfielders. He will be keenly aware of the issues with his side – with both his available players and those in the treatment room – and now faces the mammoth task of redeveloping his team. The Liverpool boss admits he was already prepared for a bumpy year.

“I like the squad, but we can’t judge it without looking at the circumstances,” he explained ahead of Liverpool’s trip to Crystal Palace on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports.

“If the last season hadn’t been as long, if the last seasons wouldn’t have been that successful, there would have been more changes, that’s normal. But because we were very successful, especially last year, with a very short summer after, it’s not a summer for a big overhaul because you cannot just bring players in.

“In the last day or two, when pretty much all of them – apart from Luiz Diaz and Thiago – are out there, we have 26 first-team players without goalkeepers. The squad is not big enough, but we’ve had so many injuries that we never could use them and that leads to things. Every squad in the world can be improved and ours as well, of course.

“It was always clear that after a long time, there would be some struggles and it’s not only going in one direction. I knew that can happen and you never know one thousand per cent in the moment, but it was pretty likely that this year would be a bit bumpy for different reasons, on top of a World Cup in between.

“Our main issue has been injuries. And when you don’t get momentum in a season, you always have to fight against something and with players coming back from injury. Right now, we have Virgil van Dijk coming back from a long injury and people start talking about his quality, which is really funny. A lot of the players have similar problems and that’s the thing.

“We knew we needed changes and this summer is a summer where we have to do something clearly.”

This is also not Klopp’s first taste of adversity. He spent around 14 years with both Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in his native Germany, where success did not always come easily.

Many have made comparisons between the number of years he has been at Liverpool and the length of his stay at both German clubs. But Klopp is adamant that he is not planning on leaving Anfield any time soon, pointing out the differences between his time at all three clubs.

“It’s really different because at neither Mainz nor Dortmund was my energy level down,” he reflected.

“I was at Mainz for 18 years, seven and a half as manager, and it was just time where I wanted to see something else. When I said to Mainz ‘if we don’t get promoted, I will leave’, it was nothing to do with not getting promoted, but I knew then that the club needed something new and I needed something new.

“But I had nothing, it’s not that I was looking around and thinking ‘what work could I do’ and stuff like this, it all started on the Monday after the last matchday when we couldn’t get promoted. I was working immediately again, so it’s not that I was thinking ‘thank God for a holiday’ or whatever.

“Dortmund was a situation which is again different. With the situation we were in, which wasn’t great, there were some similarities, but it’s not the same. We had a team that grew together as well and there was a moment where changes are needed.

“I wanted to do something else. I could have stayed, no one wanted to kick me out, and it would have meant a big overhaul in the squad as well. You cannot do that in one year, but over the years and that’s something I didn’t want to do, not because I’m so loyal to the players, but because I wanted to do something else.

“Now I’m here and I don’t want to do anything else. We had a very successful period, I’ve been here for seven years and I’m exactly in the place where I want to be.

“That doesn’t mean that other people couldn’t make the decision and tell me ‘you like it, but you have to leave’, that’s always [possible] in a job like this, but as long as that doesn’t happen, I can’t see any reason why we should compare it because for me, it’s completely different.

“But changes are needed, that’s clear, and we will do that.”

‘Salah contribution has been immense’

While this season may not have hit the same heights as previous years, there are still positives to be had and if you are Salah, records to be broken.

Against Crystal Palace this weekend, he could become Liverpool’s record Premier League goalscorer, Liverpool’s record Premier League away goalscorer and set a new record for most left-footed Premier League goals – not a bad haul.

Salah has been one of the figureheads of Klopp’s Liverpool, and while the manager insists there is still plenty of work to do, had nothing but praise for his forward.

“He’s a Liverpool legend and that’s how it is with legends,” Klopp said.

“You only realise how great they were when they’re not here anymore. As long as they are here, they have outstanding games, normal games, not so good games and it’s like ‘he can do this better or this better’.

“The moment he is not here anymore, someone will look at the numbers and go ‘wow, we saw real greatness’ – that’s the truth. But I am his coach, we can celebrate his career when we’re both finished and reflect on how wonderful it was and it will be like this 100 per cent.

“But until then, we have to work and Mo has defended as well and all of these kinds of things. Mo will miss chances and score goals, there’s no doubt about that.

“There was a record in the last game when he had to score one goal and he’s the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League and there was the goal.

“I like when he can get new records because he wants to have them as well. The contribution of Mo Salah to everything we achieved in the last few years you cannot measure. It’s immense.”

‘Crystal Palace a pain for everybody in Premier League’

After back-to-back 2-0 wins in the Premier League, Liverpool will be aiming to make it three in a row and restore some confidence when they travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday Night Football, live on Sky Sports Premier League.

On paper, it’s the perfect opportunity. Klopp has more Premier League wins (12) and points (37) against Crystal Palace than against any other opponent. In a difficult period of fixtures for Patrick Vieira’s side, they have not won in seven league matches.

But of course, football is never that simple, and Klopp appreciates that Crystal Palace’s performances have been far better than their recent results would suggest.

“All respect for the team they’ve put together, Patrick is doing a really good job,” he said.

“Results-wise the last few weeks were not outstanding for them as well. Our analysts always start the meetings by showing us the last 10 results and they are not brilliant. But the performances don’t look like that.

“It’s a good team, a well set-up team. They’ve changed systems slightly with a 4-2-3-1, I’m not sure if it’s one they’ve played against us, but they react a lot to the opponent. If you press high, they go long. If you don’t press high, they play [on the floor] and all of these kinds of things.

“They also have really good players, a lot of technique on the pitch, whether it’s Olise, Eze, Ayew, Mateta, Edouard, Zaha too if he’s not injured. In midfield, there’s really good players. Since I was here, there was always Tomkins and other guys in the defence. Now it’s Anderson and Guehi, Mitchell is a sensational left-back and a good goalie. Clyney might play right-back, our old player, and that’s a proper Premier League team.

“I don’t think anyone expects Crystal Palace to play in the Champions League or win the league, but staying for that long time in the Premier League and being a pain for pretty much everybody, when you arrive there the atmosphere is great.

“When you tell me we’ve gotten so many points against them, I just remember always super tricky games in a hostile atmosphere. It’s the Premier League so we have to make sure we are ready.”

Whether Klopp can extend his good form against Crystal Palace remains to be seen, but change is certainly peaking over the horizon for Liverpool in the coming months.

Watch Crystal Palace vs Liverpool live on Sky Sports Premier League from 7.30pm on Saturday Night Football; kick-off 7.45pm.