Jurgen Klopp has discussed what he told Liverpool’s players at the halftime break in their dramatic 4-3 win against Tottenham.
Speaking to the press via the Anfield Watch, the German manager revealed that he told his squad to find their rhythm after allowing Harry Kane to fire Liverpool back into the match before the break to make the score 3-1.
With Tottenham scoring a stoppage-time equaliser, it seems like Klopp’s talk at halftime did little to reset Liverpool’s dominance on the match. However, Diogo Jota was the hero for the Merseyside giants as the Portuguese attacker bagged a last-second winner to secure the crucial three points for the hosts.
Indeed, it was a strange game for Liverpool that saw the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold endure difficult games at the back, whilst Harvey Elliott was hooked off early on in the second-half for Jordan Henderson. And for Klopp, the Anfield boss detailed what he told the squad at the break.
The former Borussia Dortmund manager said: “Virgil slips, which can happen, but we shouldn’t have a situation like that. Half-time, I told the boys they needed their rhythm again because if we play how we started they have no way to defend us.”
Klopp might have done little to stop Liverpool from Tottenham collapse
At 3-0 up after 15 minutes, few would have predicted Liverpool to throw away their lead and rely on a last-gasp Jota winner to rescue the points, yet Klopp’s comments at halftime might have done little to stop the initial collapse against Tottenham.
Defensive mistakes were key to Spurs finding their way back into the match, and with the likes of Ibrahima Konate and Van Dijk enduring games to forget, Klopp couldn’t have done much to stop his Liverpool defenders from gifting Tottenham a route back into the game.