Jurgen Klopp will be looking for a reaction from his players when Liverpool lock horns with Crystal Palace
Cody Gakpo has sent his teammates a warning ahead of Liverpool’s clash against Crystal Palace.
Jurgen Klopp will welcome the Eagles to Anfield on Sunday afternoon as either side hopes to climb the Premier League table. Liverpool will be determined to return to winning ways this weekend after a disappointing defeat on home soil to Atalanta in the Europa League quarterfinal first leg.
The Italian outfit stormed past the Reds on Thursday evening, with Gianluca Scamacca netting twice before Mario Pasalic put the final nail in the coffin. Speaking to reporters after the game, Klopp insisted his side deserved to lose after their first defeat at Anfield in over a year. The German said: “It was a really bad game, oh my God. They broke, they scored and we just lost the plot a little bit.
“We were here and there in midfield, I didn’t recognise it. It was really strange but in football terms it was tactical discipline. They scored and we kept playing into their hands.
“We played a bad game and we deserved to lose. We must feel that now but we have exactly this night to feel bad about it and then we have to build up for [Crystal] Palace.”
Klopp managed to keep a lid on his anger in the post-match press conference but, in the dressing room, it was a different story. That’s according to Gakpo, who told Dutch publication Voetbal International that the Liverpool boss was far from happy.
As quoted by MSN, the Reds forward said: “It’s hard to explain, but we just weren’t good enough today. The trainer was not happy, no. They made good use of the chances they got, and then you lost 3-0.
“I don’t think we were all sharp enough in the matches, with the second balls, with taking advantage of the chances we had, all in all I think. That’s football. Every match you have to try to show yourself.
“We have a lot of competition, a lot of players who are doing well and then you have to fight for your place. I still believe in it [turning it around the in the second leg]. Ultimately, we are in this competition to win it.”
