Klopp on Liverpool's smash and grab Cup win at Arsenal
Klopp on Liverpool's smash and grab Cup win at Arsenal
Transcript
00:00 Jürgen, why do you think you conceded so many chances in the first half
00:06 and so few chances in the second half?
00:09 No, everything was better in the second half.
00:13 The first half, it's difficult to prepare for something like what Arsenal did tonight,
00:21 in the 90 minutes pretty much, but especially in the first half,
00:26 the different set-up with Harvards and Odegaard, more or less double ten.
00:30 It was a 4-2-2-2, Wingers, Wyatt, massive threat.
00:37 So we had a few days' time to prepare for a difficult game,
00:46 and obviously with a slightly different team,
00:49 and in the last second Virgil couldn't play, that didn't help.
00:54 Timing was bad in the first half for pressing, for pretty much everything in the first line.
00:59 That makes it tricky for the midfield and nearly impossible for the last line.
01:04 So we had to defend deeper and had to block balls and stuff like this,
01:07 but that's in football as well, you have to show desire, passion,
01:11 these kind of things, and determination, as the boys showed.
01:15 And then we changed, obviously, quite a bit, and that caused Arsenal problems.
01:22 That's how football is, these little parts, you cannot always be that influential.
01:26 But as little influence I had in the first half on what they did,
01:33 I would say as little as the influence for Mickael in a moment like that,
01:38 we used the information from the first half and tried to do better,
01:43 and did much better, so everything was better.
01:46 And then we created step by step, we were more in the game,
01:48 we had our chances, we defended them better,
01:51 but how it is, the home game is actually an advantage,
01:55 but when you are better in the first half and don't score,
01:59 then it's normal for humans that you get in kind of a rush.
02:03 So it barely gets better, or usually doesn't get better in the second half,
02:07 so it's just if you don't score.
02:10 And we felt more and more comfortable in that game,
02:14 and, yeah, scored from a corner, a known goal,
02:19 which obviously you cannot plan, and had chances to score earlier,
02:26 but scored in the last second, which is fine as well, and we are really happy.
02:30 Because you all know, cup competition is not about being the better team,
02:33 it's about winning the game.
02:35 And we had in the second half much more good moments and deserved the next round,
02:42 but of course we could have lost tonight as well, that's clear.
02:47 Congrats on the win.
02:48 Thank you.
02:49 Can you come down to the football ground today without the lights?
02:52 It's our annual anthem, how impressive were you last week's squad
02:56 and the players playing in great shape in the final representation?
02:59 And also how did you feel it had the budgets,
03:02 like Ponnabagki and Bobby Clark, when they were coming in the last opening?
03:06 What I actually don't like, it's not you, but everybody is like that,
03:14 Bataru Endo was not here tonight, Dom Sobosle was not here tonight,
03:18 Andy Robertson was not here tonight, Kostas Tzimikas was not here tonight,
03:22 Thiago Alcantara was not here tonight,
03:24 Stefan Pacicic was not here tonight...
03:27 ..Joel Matip was not here tonight, so that's a really good football team we missed.
03:35 And if I forget, I forgot somebody, sorry.
03:40 Football is like that, sometimes you have them all available,
03:45 it's pretty rare, and sometimes you don't have them available.
03:47 I'm super happy, that's why I said in the first half you could see it didn't click.
03:52 It was not because of new players or whatever, it was just the timing was bad.
03:57 That doesn't help, pressing rhythm and timing are extremely important,
04:04 and we didn't have either.
04:06 But yes, if that's the case, I said to the boys in a meeting before the game,
04:12 humans are like that, it's a tough game, nobody comes to Arsenal and wins just like this.
04:18 So in this game there will be difficult moments,
04:20 if we start in these moments, as humans very often do, getting for excuses,
04:24 and then we realise who else is not here, and it's normal that we have these problems,
04:28 then we are screwed.
04:30 But if you know these kinds of things, you can avoid it, and that's what we did.
04:35 The boys enjoyed the game, at least in the second half, and that's really cool.
04:41 Staying in a game that looked in the first half like that,
04:44 growing into a game is a pretty special thing to do, especially in an away game,
04:49 so I'm really happy with it.
04:50 With both halves then, because we can learn from both.
04:53 Jürgen, congratulations.
04:56 Thank you.
04:57 I mean, this is obviously a player who is on here,
04:59 and Arsenal obviously have got injuries and people away as well,
05:02 but they're building a relatively strong side,
05:04 and playing twice in two weeks' draw, they're going to beat them.
05:08 Can we read anything at all from that, as it looks like?
05:11 No.
05:13 I can't. Nobody can, but I can.
05:20 So we play in, it feels like...
05:22 I think if we draw Nauman's City away, for example, next round of the FA Cup,
05:28 then we play Bournemouth, Chelsea, next FA Cup,
05:34 and then Arsenal again if I'm right, and again here.
05:37 So it's really tough. I can't read anything there,
05:41 but I know that this league is crazy difficult.
05:44 But you have to find solutions, I've said it plenty of times,
05:49 there are a thousand ways to win a game, we just have to find one.
05:56 But it's unfortunately much easier, it sounds much easier than it is,
05:59 but for tonight it worked, so that's good.
06:02 But no harm done in terms of belief and confidence?
06:06 Well, you don't have a problem with belief and confidence,
06:09 we are not really bothered about the things you are talking about,
06:13 because we can read the calendar.
06:15 We see it's January, it's cold outside, stuff like this,
06:19 and you just have to stay warm and play as good as you can,
06:24 and that's what we try.
06:26 Matt Thorn?
06:27 Yeah, slightly excited for the game,
06:29 there's reports from Saudi Arabia that Jordan Henderson might enjoy himself
06:34 in his cup there, or maybe looking for a cut-price move.
06:38 Is it just sentimentality that makes you think
06:40 that Liverpool might be one of the clubs interested in him?
06:43 Did Hendo have a press conference and say that?
06:48 No, not directly.
06:50 Oh, it's just written, that means for me it's not existing.
06:53 He didn't call me!
06:56 We spoke actually, but not about that.
07:02 So, yeah, really nothing to say about that.
07:06 Jürgen, without a burden, how pleased were you with the two centre-backs?
07:11 Top, top. Oh, my God, the horrible moment was,
07:15 Ibu was twice down, and then Jorel goes down and just...
07:22 ...jaw his back. Does that make sense?
07:25 Because I didn't hear that word before, so I twisted a little bit of my back.
07:29 And actually I thought that's it, and it would have been really tricky early in the game.
07:35 But it was really good, and Joey again, good, and Trent exceptional.
07:41 And then you have Ali for a moment, so that's helpful as well.
07:44 So in front of that, the makar was really there,
07:49 and Curtis wanted for Cody, it was a bit more difficult,
07:53 we put him against on that position and then in front three,
07:56 I would say the timing was really not great for the pressing situations,
07:59 and that's why they could pass too often.
08:01 But it was difficult, so we tried to prepare for everything.
08:04 Did I prepare for a double ten and high winger? No.
08:08 So more my fault than the boys' fault, and we had half a time to see it,
08:14 to watch it, to learn from it, and in the second half we said it was much better.
08:18 What was the situation with Virgil?
08:20 I'm hopeful, but I don't know, he came and...
08:26 It's difficult for Virg to look shit, but he did.
08:31 And so we sent him home again.
08:34 Another great game by Trent Alexander, how are you with the way he has grown as a leader?
08:43 And as a player in that role?
08:45 There's still a lot of space, but it's outstanding already, it's great.
08:50 He enjoys it, obviously, you could see that on the pitch today.
08:54 1-0 up, he spoke to everybody without me shouting at him and telling him
08:58 that he has to speak and make sure we are really compact and stuff like this.
09:03 And, my God, what a player!
09:07 HE CHUCKLES
09:09 Yeah, good game.
09:12 And, yes, age-wise he's there, he can do that and he did it.
09:17 Like Ibu stepped up tonight, really, in that last line, that's extremely helpful.
09:22 We cannot put everything on Ali's shoulders in moments like that
09:25 just because Mo is not there, Virg is not there,
09:27 but Tao grew a lot into that role recently.
09:31 For sure now not a big speaker, but in the game he was there,
09:35 so missing all that is not cool, but we have to do it anyway,
09:40 and that's what the boys did.
09:42 Can we fly home now? Thank you very much.
09:44 Bye.
09:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]