Sometimes you just have to hold up your hands and admit it wasn’t your day. For Liverpool, who have had so many positive days over the course of the last few months yesterday was exactly that.
Nothing quite went the Reds’ way at Old Trafford. Even though they took the lead twice against Manchester United, the Reds couldn’t really assert the control they would have liked in that game. They created plenty of chances but were often wasteful in front of goal.
It’s a game Jurgen Klopp will look back on and know there will be plenty of lessons to take from it. In the grand scheme of things, being eliminated from the FA Cup may be a blow, but it may ultimately help in Liverpool’s ambitions to win both the Premier League and the Europa League. At the end of the day, those trophies are far more lucrative and prestigious for the Reds.
Jurgen Klopp on what he wants to see happen now
The frustrating thing will be for Liverpool is that now they can’t rectify that defeat and bounce back, win a win right away. This game was Liverpool’s last match before the international break, which means Klopp has to wait until the 31st March to play again. In that time, Liverpool’s players will all be competing for their countries.
Speaking after the game in his post-match press conference, Klopp revealed what he wanted from his players. And what he hoped would happen to them during the international break.
“So, I hope they don’t have to play now two games [of] 90 minutes and stuff like this, that would be helpful, but it is not in my hands,” Klopp said as per the club’s official website.
“Does it come in the right moment? If we were playing and the next game would be on Thursday or Friday I would be fine with that as well. It’s never cool when they are not around, I like it a lot when they are here and we can really give players a day off and just treatment and stuff like this. But it is not the first time like this, it is the last time like that [of his time at Liverpool]. Let’s just hope they come back in a good shape and then we go.”
It’s true let’s be honest this international break doesn’t really come at an ideal time for Liverpool. All any of us can hope is that none of the club’s players will pick up injuries. We want them back on the pitch and looking to bounce back from that Manchester United defeat as soon as possible.