Klopp after Liverpool's Champions League debacle: 'I don't know why Atletico don't play proper football'
Jugen Klopp
reacted to Liverpool's shocking loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League
16th finals by criticizing Atletico's play style, saying they should play
"proper football" instead of banking on counerattacks. Atletico beat
Liverpool - the defending European champions - 3-2 after extra time in the
second leg of their last-16 tie at Anfield. In the regular 90 minutes of play,
Gini Wijnaldum gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead, requiring extra time to deterine
which of the two teams would dominate on aggregate, given that Liverpool lost
1-0 at Madrid in the first leg. Four minutes into extra time, Roberto Firminio
gave Liverpool the lead once more. Within a short space of time, Marcos
Llorente fired two goals for Atletico, and Alvaro Morata sealed Liverpool's
fate with a late goal, as Atletico won 4-2 on aggregate.
Atletico only had half
as many shots on target as premier League chart leaders Liverpool and had less
ball possession. They were however able to make it to the quarter finals thanks
to their Atletico's world class goalkeeper Jan Oblak. Jan Oblak was named Man
of The Match witht he numerous saves and timely interventions he made. He kept
out a Wijnaldum header early on, stopped a Mane shot, another from
Oxlade-Chamberlain, and saved from Wijnaldum again in extra time. He made a total of 9 saves against Liverpool.
Liverpool coach
Jurgen Klopp thinks Atletico should have done better than counter-attacking
during the game. He told BT Sport: "I am completely happy with the
performance. It’s so difficult to play a side like this.
"I don’t
understand with the quality they have the football they play. They could play
proper football but they stand deep and have counterattacks.
"We accept
it of course but it doesn’t feel right tonight. I realize I am a really bad
loser, especially when the boys put such an effort in against world class
players on the other side who defend with two rows of four.
"We know in
the last two years we had some lucky moments in the Champions League, you have
to, to reach two finals, but today it was everything was against us in the
decisive moments."
""For
the score to go 2-1 was not cool, it was a blow but it's not a big problem. The
second goal was a bigger problem.
"After the
second goal the legs were a bit tired. Everything that looked really natural in
the first 90 minutes became a bit stiff. The crosses did not have the same
quality We wanted the first time crosses like for the first goal, which was
brilliant and the boys forget to do that.”
Bravo Atletico!
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