Programme notesJürgen Klopp: Winning the FA Cup will live with us forever - but we want new memories
Read Jürgen Klopp's notes for Liverpool's official matchday programme for tonight's Emirates FA Cup third-round tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Reds boss writes: "There is an increasing tendency in football for perspective to be lost with every result, whether it is good or bad, with opinions being taken to an extreme either way depending on the outcome.
"I understand the emotion and I certainly identify with the passion but these dramatic mood swings are not something that we can afford to get caught up in, no matter how big they might be to some around us.
"Our defeat at Brentford earlier this week was a bad result, there is no question about that. We did not perform as well as we needed to as a team – and I include myself in this assessment first and foremost – so the outcome was what you should expect if you do not play to your potential against an opponent that is ready to take advantage of any weaknesses.
"Credit to Brentford, they did this and their victory was deserved. But from our perspective we know we needed to be much better.
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"We can do nothing about the reaction that followed in certain quarters. Our job did not change and nor did our responsibility. As with every single game we play, the aftermath is a combination of recovery, introspection, analysis and training with a view to improvement.
"This process is so, so important, which means we cannot allow distractions to creep in or external voices to find their way into the training ground. If we have created problems for ourselves, it is us and us alone who can find the solutions.
"Which is not to say I do not respect people’s right to an opinion. I do, absolutely. The difference is – as the people with the responsibility for making Liverpool as effective as we possibly can be – we must always focus only on ourselves and what we can do better.
"We must also keep our perspective. If we win, we should not get too high and if we lose, we should not get too low. This is not always easy in the modern world but it should always be our aim.
"Before the Brentford game we had won four successive Premier League matches and this is something that should not be forgotten. Again, this is not to explain away a bad result or to try to make it ‘OK’. It is just to remind ourselves of the work we have been doing and the results that have followed.
"A defeat – no matter how disappointing – does not change this, but it should remind us of what can happen when we do not meet the standards that we set for ourselves.
"What I will not allow to happen is for the positives to be washed away by the negatives. There is an English saying that I have learned which makes a lot of sense right now, ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.’
"As I have said previously, we did a lot of good work out in Dubai, we have since had good results against Aston Villa and Leicester City, having beaten Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton before the break for the World Cup, so there are enough positives to work with and also to build on while also acknowledging that there are negatives to be addressed.
"Tonight we have another tough game against an opponent which is showing a lot of improvement under a new manager. Julen Lopetegui is a very, very experienced coach and his CV speaks for itself.
"I would like to welcome Julen to Anfield and to wish him well as he continues his crash course in English football, an experience I know well from when I first came to the Premier League some years ago.
"Of course, I extend the same welcome to Julen’s staff and also the players, directors and supporters of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
"This will be the first time we have played in the FA Cup since winning the competition at Wembley last May. The memories we have of that day will live with us forever but now we would like to create new ones.
"As everyone in football knows, the FA Cup is a very special competition and like everyone else involved, we would like to go as far in it as possible so let’s give it a try."
