Jurgen Klopp analysed a disappointing outcome with a touching conclusion at Kenilworth Road, being both philosophical and critical at the same time.
The manager made the following five points after considering the two missed opportunities:
A “positive” distraction for Diaz
The manager disclosed that the purpose of Colombian’s brief presence was to provide him with “the opportunity to be a little bit distracted” from the ongoing circumstances involving his family back home.
“I think the signs are positive and optimistic from Colombia, but the one thing we wanted to hear hasn’t happened yet,” he said.
No room for hateful chanting
The manager said he “didn’t hear” the tragic chants from Luton fans that Jamie Carragher called out during the live broadcast on Sky Sports, but he harshly criticised those who were engaged.
Klopp sent a straightforward but unambiguous message of “shame on them,” with a vocal minority participating in songs that called Liverpool supporters “victims” during the match.
A “bizarre” situation
Given how the final ten minutes of the game went, Klopp acknowledged that he had a “strange” sensation following the game, but he is adamant that the draw was the “deserved result” for the match.
Although Luton was sitting in the relegation zone going into the game, he gave them “credit” for their effort, but he also said that his team wasn’t “calm enough” in front of goal.
Although the manager acknowledged that any of the three outcomes could have happened, he took the Reds’ failure to counterpress “personally” during the first half.
Set-piece annoyances
Although Klopp says he has “respect” for Luton’s methods, he was not quite happy with the manner they handled dead balls.
The manager called their strategies “wrestling,” but he also said, “Why should they change it when they don’t get punished?
“I don’t know if it was a good point score in wrestling when Virgil’s opponent took him down.”
Room for five attackers
In response to a question concerning the attacking hierarchy within the team, Klopp stated that his five senior attackers are “all in the team.”
Liverpool has been able to rotate players around the team in all four tournaments, but nowhere has that been more evident than at the top of the pitch.
“The whole team was not in a goalscoring mood today,” the manager said in defence of Darwin Nunez, who squandered a fantastic chance to put the Reds ahead in the second half.
