Jurgen Klopp felt that Manchester United were overly defensive during the 0-0 draw at Anfield on Sunday.
Although Klopp is entitled to his opinion, surely he appreciates that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was not willing to hand over the game to Liverpool yesterday, which was the main objective going into the game at Anfield.
It’s not an easy place to go to and Liverpool never want to be losing to Manchester United. Their fans couldn’t attend so it was probably the calmest it will ever be at a game between these two rivals.
Anyhow, it’s not just me who thinks Klopp was a bit silly after the match.
Alan Shearer and Danny Murphy both disagreed with the German coach, who criticised United’s tactics during their 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
The Red Devils set up to hit Liverpool on the counter-attack but didn’t have any success with it. Meanwhile, Klopp must admit that his game plan didn’t work either.
United also had the best chances of the game but midfield duo Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba were unable to score.
Klopp told BBC Sport: “The worst thing you can face in football is to play against a side with world-class players and they all defend with all they have. It is really difficult, it is the biggest challenge.
“The way we understood the game, the way we felt the game, the way we read the moments were really good. But it is not exactly how it should be so we have space for improvement, absolutely. We will keep working on that.”
However, Shearer and Murphy both argued against Klopp’s point.
“I wouldn’t agree with that [suggestions from Henderson and Klopp that United came to defend], I thought they grew into the game,” Shearer told Match of the Day 2, as cited by the Manchester Evening News.
“First half they defended deep and got men behind the ball. But second half I thought they were the better team, Man United. They had two exceptional chances and with this chances, should have won the game.”
Former Liverpool star Murphy added: “I thought United were poor in the first half as their own manager said, in terms of trying to get out.
“They ended up defending deeper than they would’ve liked. Liverpool were sharp, they were at it. Thiago was running the show for half an hour. They got in good positions but didn’t quite capitalise, but I agree, second half I thought United grew into it.
“Grew stronger, grew more confident, and actually had the better chances in the second half to win it. And it shows how far they’ve come. There was a lot of good stuff from United in the second half.”
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