Jurgen Klopp has promised that Liverpool supporters will see a reaction from his players after their 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final first leg.
Gianluca Scamacca scored twice and Mario Pasalic added a third to all but ended Liverpool’s hopes of Europa League success, with the Premier League now the best chance for silverware to end Klopp’s reign on a high.
Liverpool face Crystal Palace on Sunday as they return to Premier League action and must get back to winning ways to keep pace with Arsenal and Manchester City in the title race.
“The good thing about a really bad performance is that you can play better,” Klopp said.
“We should start from there. I told the boys “take it home”, nobody will sleep great and tomorrow we come together. The boys recover and all the others get a proper session. We go from there and on Saturday we start preparing for Palace.
“Yes, we have to show a reaction. Definitely, 100 per cent, that is clear but I can not plan the reaction 20 minutes after the game. I will think about it, it is not the first time in my life that I lost a football game unfortunately. And yes we will show a reaction, I can promise.”
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Klopp made six changes for the midweek game and more will be expected at the weekend. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota returned to the first team squad, with the latter making a late cameo to boost selection options while Alisson Becker continues to close on a return.
“My job is not the easiest in the world, not the most difficult as well, but it’s about when you have players you need to make sure that you get them together on the pitch and then it works out somehow,” Klopp said.
“In different line-ups we have played really good football this year, (yesterday) we didn’t. So that’s the reason why we lost.
“There can be the headline ‘ba-ba-ba, it didn’t work out’, then it’s absolutely fine and right.
“But we need them all and we need them all aggressive, fit, going for it, a bit angry, full of desire, stuff like this, and not so much dealing with your own situation, like I’ve no rhythm, I didn’t play for ages, stuff like this. You have to try to avoid that.”
Liverpool travel to Bergamo to play the second-leg against Atalanta on Thursday, before a Premier League trip to Fulham three days later.
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(Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
