Jurgen Klopp not worried about ‘greedy’ Liverpool attackers

Liverpool produced another solid if unspectacular performance against Tottenham on Saturday to clinch all three points and extend their unbeaten run to five games. Goals from Gini Wijnaldum and Roberto Firmino were enough to settle the game despite a late Spurs rally through an Erik Lamela goal.

However, manager Jurgen Klopp was cut a frustrated figure on the touchline throughout the game as Liverpool’s attackers consistently failed to deliver key passes for their teammates, choosing instead to go for goal themselves. The Reds could easily have been 5 or 6 nil up at one point but ended up coming away from Wembley with a slender victory that didn’t reflect their dominance on the pitch.

“I would love to say it is the first time in my life I have been in a situation like that, but it happens so often,” said Klopp, according to the Mirror. “My wife hates it!”

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LONDON, ENGLAND – September 15: James Milner of Liverpool runs with the ball during Liverpool’s match with Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium on September 15, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

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On several occasions throughout the match, Liverpool’s attackers squandered great opportunities to kill off the game, suggesting an underlying issue could be at play. Klopp, however, moved to nip that idea in the bud straight away.

“It’s not greedy. It’s normal,” he said. “I want them to score and encourage them to do so, but there are moments when they have to pass. Maybe one situation I would say a pass would have been better, all the others were OK.

“The boys are used to the situation when they score from these positions. These boys are such a threat to each team. These runs they do, gives us the space to get in between.

“That is how we scored the second goal. So if they don’t score one day, I have no problem with that.”

The attack aside, Liverpool looked good in every other area of the pitch against a normally-dangerous Tottenham team. Alisson took no chances in goal this time after his mistake against Leicester, while the Joe Gomez-Virgil van Dijk partnership continues to look like the real deal. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson provided excellent width throughout the match, while the midfield three of Naby Keita, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum put in another industrious shift.

All of this encouraged Klopp, who spoke of the upcoming test against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday night.

“It is early in the season, we mention it constantly but it’s true,” said Klopp. “We will try to be ready for PSG – we try to prepare but they are really good, a very interesting football project, and they rested two key players on Friday night.

“People say you should win it this year because you reached the final last year, but come on. We play in the two toughest competitions in the world – the Premier League and Champions League. How can we say we don’t want that?

“That is what we do, that is what has brought us all together – but there is not one second that is easy.

“Here (at Tottenham) you have to be great, be brave, be confident. It was all good – so I’m really happy, but it’s one game.”

Liverpool will look to carry their fine form into the Champions League this week when PSG arrive at Anfield.

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Source: anfieldhq.com