“Why I wouldn’t miss Salah and Mane ” – 3 talking points from Klopp’s post-Arsenal press conference

“Why I wouldn’t miss Salah and Mane ” – 3 talking points from Klopp’s post-Arsenal press conference.

Jurgen Klopp was insistent that he liked what he saw from the early exchanges as Liverpool were “front footed,” “lively” and “direct in the right moments.”

“We started the game how we wanted to start,” Klopp explained.

But the red card for Granit Xhaka only saw Arsenal deploy a low block and “it looked like all of a sudden we felt under pressure. Which doesn’t make sense.”

As performances go it is one we will all wish to forget in a hurry, but it’s still only half-time in the tie.

Life without Salah, Mane, and Keita;

The absence of Mo Salah and Sadio Mane, in particular, was crystal clear on Thursday with Liverpool lacking creativity and resilience in the attack.

And while Klopp agreed with the sentiment, he was steadfast in his belief that the team he lined up can get the job done.

“Tell me one team that wouldn’t miss Sadio Mane, Mo Salah, and Naby Keita,” he said.

“We know that already for years that it could happen. Could we have been better prepared for it? I don’t think so.

 

“What we had tonight was a football problem and this team which we lined up tonight can sort that football problem. Definitely.”

Half-time, but now for Brentford:

While the tie is placed ahead of the trip to the Emirates in a week, Liverpool first have the task of defeating Brentford.

They will head to Anfield in less than three days and Klopp’s “mind is already on Brentford on Sunday.”

Klopp knows “we can play better and we know we have to play better, and that’s what we will work on.”