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In his pre-Manchester City press conference (via the Mirror, 13:39), Jurgen Klopp admitted that his Liverpool side deserved to lose at Napoli in the Champions League during the week and may have hinted that he could make changes for the game against the champions on Sunday.
What did he say?
“The timing wasn’t good in the defence, we didn’t adapt to what they did in the right way.
“After the game it felt much more clear that they deserved to win. Timing was not good because we felt under pressure when we were not under it. We had a few wrong decisions where we could have played left, not right, there was a lot of times which was close to being good but no real perfect decision.
“We had three days and make the boys aware of what was wrong – but I won’t forget how we played against Chelsea.
“We have to stay cool.”
What did he really mean?
During his answer to this particular question, Klopp seemed to admit some responsibility for the defeat at Napoli. Although he pointed out some of the mistakes that his players made, he also stated that Liverpool didn’t adapt to how Napoli set out.
This was certainly evident during the tie, as the Reds were stretched by Carlo Ancelotti’s formation that utilised his wingers to their full effect and stretched Liverpool’s narrow midfield three.
Changes on the way?
Klopp’s reference to feeling under pressure could allude to changes that he may make for the upcoming clash with Pep Guardiola’s City. There is little doubt that the champions are still the best side in the country, and Liverpool’s German boss may be hinting at bringing in some more experienced campaigners such as Jordan Henderson for Naby Keita in the midfield and potentially Joel Matip for Joe Gomez at centre-back.
21-year-old Gomez has been in fine form so far this season, pushing Matip and Dejan Lovren down the pecking order. But Klopp may be keen to avoid burning the youngster out and after his comments about wrong decisions and poor timing in the defence, he could be sacrificed this weekend for a more experienced and composed alternative in the Cameroonian.