Jurgen Klopp says Roberto Firmino losing the ball several times was ‘not helpful’ for Liverpool against Newcastle United.
The Reds managed back-to-back Premier League wins with a fine 2-0 victory over Newcastle on Saturday. As well as being a huge three points, the game also allowed Klopp to give some players minutes to work their way back to fitness.
Addressing that point with BBC Sport after the game, the Liverpool manager admitted there were mixed performances from his substitutes.
“We had to fight until the end. We needed the long leg of James Milner two or three times, that was outstanding, yeah,” began the manager.
“Could give the boys minutes again to play, was difficult again you can see that but with very good moments. Diogo could have scored, Bobby started really well between the lines then he lost a couple of balls, not really helpful of course.
“But to get back to your personal best you need these minutes, and so we are a step further than we were.”
Subs fail to earn Madrid spots
Klopp’s assessment of his substitutes today is absolutely bang on. Firstly, he wasn’t perfect, but Milner got a couple of crucial tackles in to halt Newcastle attacks.
Jota definitely should have scored – perhaps even more than once. His wait for a Liverpool goal goes on.
And then there was Firmino. Again, Klopp nails his verdict on Bobby. The 31-year-old started really well, giving Liverpool a foothold in an attacking midfield position.
His clever use of his body and the ball got the Reds in decent positions more than once.
But then he started giving it away. This was almost costly on one occasion in particular, with Anthony Gordon teeing up Callum Wilson for what should have been a goal. Only the heroics of Alisson Becker prevented it from being so.
This kind of sloppy play is simply inexcusable at this stage. With every point now crucial to Liverpool, they can’t be giving things away so cheaply. After Klopp’s comments, it would now be a major surprise to see Bobby return to the starting line-up for Tuesday’s clash with Real Madrid.