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Jurgen Klopp makes Liverpool promise after Atalanta and gives Trent Alexander-Arnold fitness update

 

Liverpool will show a reaction against Crystal Palace, promises Jurgen Klopp, after their 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League

Jurgen Klopp has promised Liverpool will “show a reaction” against Crystal Palace this Sunday as they look to end a difficult week on a high at Anfield.

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After failing to turn their dominance into victory at Manchester United last Sunday, the Reds slipped to their sixth defeat of the campaign with a shock 3-0 loss to Atalanta in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday.

 

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Liverpool can go top of the Premier League with victory over Palace ahead of Arsenal’s visit from Aston Villa later that day.

 

PAUL GORST: What happened after Atalanta’s third goal was justified as troubling Liverpool thought emerges

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IAN DOYLE: Darwin Nunez underlines Liverpool worry as point made in front of Tom Werner

 

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With both teams sitting on 71 points at the summit, but with the Gunners in top spot on goal difference, the match represents another pivotal day in the race for the title and Klopp has pledged that he and his players will respond to the jarring defeat to Atalanta, which was their first home reverse in 14 months across all competitions.

“It is not pressure, that is my job,” said the Reds boss speaking immediately after Thursday’s game. “I have to do that as much as I can do it. So that’s how it is.

 

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“First and foremost, I can not endure [losing], never could. But still it is the job I have to do. The good thing about a really bad performance is that you can play better. We should start from there [on Sunday].

 

“This, tonight, I told the boys, ‘take it home’, nobody will sleep great and tomorrow we come together. The boys recover and all the others get a proper session. We go from there and on Saturday we start preparing for the Palace game.

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“Yes, we have to show a reaction. Definitely, 100%, that is clear but I can not plan the reaction 20 minutes after the game. I will think about it, it is not the first time in my life that I lost a football game unfortunately. And yes we will show a reaction, I can promise.”

 

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Klopp also explained the thinking behind the decision to leave Trent-Alexander Arnold on the bench for the Atalanta loss, despite the right-back returning to full training earlier this week.

 

The vice-captain has had an injury-riddled 2024 but despite being back in contention once more, Klopp revealed that Alexander-Arnold was not yet ready to contribute significantly.

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Klopp added: “There is no chance to play Trent [against Atalanta]. He was on the bench because we were allowed to put 23 players into the squad. He had two sessions, Diogo Jota didn’t have more but the information from the medical department said step ahead, so he can play a little bit longer.

 

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“It is no pressure, it is just the situation. My job is not the easiest in the world, not the most difficult as well, but it’s about when you have players you need to make sure that you get them together on the pitch and then it works out somehow.

 

“In different line-ups we have played really good football this year, today we didn’t. So that’s the reason why we lost. There can be the headline, ‘ba-ba-ba, it didn’t work out’, then it’s absolutely fine and right. But we need them all and we need them all aggressive, fit, going for it, a bit angry, full of desire, stuff like this, and not so much dealing with your own situation, like, ‘I’ve no rhythm, I didn’t play for ages’, stuff like this.

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“You have to try to avoid that. I think Diogo was absolutely fine tonight, 20 minutes, it helped him a lot and now we will see what we can do from there. You saw Curtis who was for the most part of the season the fittest player, pressed for 90 minutes like crazy, today after 20 minutes he was 100 per cent surprised, I was surprised as well, ‘Ooh look, he feels the intensity already’.

 

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“That is why we made the change at half-time. We don’t have to force that through. They all have massive quality, we as a group all together didn’t show it tonight and that is why we lost the game.”

 

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