“This frustrates me so much”
Klopp eaten, Liverpool stumbles into the league
08/07/2022 1:06 p.m
Liverpool FC starts the new Premier League season with a damper. Jürgen Klopp reacted pissed off – and yet somehow satisfied. The euphoria after the Supercup victory against Manchester City is gone, and Thiago is also injured.
Jürgen Klopp could only digest the first blow of the new season with plenty of frustration and self-criticism. “It wasn’t us today. I’m happy about the penalty we got,” said the Liverpool team manager after the failed start at promoted Fulham (2-2) – in which his team “didn’t get more than one point deserved”.
“The best thing about the game was the result,” said Klopp sulkily – after two goals the Reds took a point from the venerable Craven Cottage. But last season’s many draws cost the Reds the Premier League title. “We didn’t play like we should – and that frustrates me so much,” said Klopp.
“No Mané, no Party”, wrote disappointed LFC fans on social networks – even if newcomer Darwin Núñez gives hope for an equal replacement for the Senegalese who migrated to FC Bayern. With a goal and an assist, the Uruguayan saved the runners-up from being embarrassed by the cheeky promoted team. “If you don’t show what you can do, you will be punished immediately in the Premier League,” said captain Jordan Henderson, who still had a chance of scoring the winning goal in injury time (90+4), but only hit the crossbar.
Thiago injured and substituted
A week after the Supercup triumph against permanent rival and champions Manchester City, the euphoria in Liverpool is already gone, the quick slip hurts. In the past Premier League season, eight draws were one too many – and City won the title by a point.
His team could have won the game against Fulham, Klopp said, but “that would have been too much today”. “It just didn’t feel good.” To make matters worse, Thiago also had to be replaced.
Nevertheless, Klopp still tried to get the best out of his team’s performance. “If we won today and didn’t learn anything, it’s much worse than a draw, from which we draw the right conclusions,” emphasized Klopp, who paid tribute to the strong climber: “We lost two points today. But so did Fulham.”