Press conferenceJürgen Klopp's verdict on Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool: 'We have a good basis'
Jürgen Klopp admitted he was satisfied by picking up a point, but acknowledged there is room for improvement from Liverpool after they played out a 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
The Reds and the Blues were unable to be separated in the capital, sharing the spoils in their opening Premier League fixture of the 2023-24 season.
Luis Diaz struck first in the 18th minute of the contest, finishing off a well-worked team goal, before Axel Disasi levelled for Chelsea.
Mohamed Salah and home full-back Ben Chilwell both saw goals chalked off for offside via VAR, with the sides having to settle for a point apiece amid a topsy-turvy encounter.
Klopp gave his reaction to the game and much more during his post-match media briefing. Read a summary below...
On the game and result...
I'm OK with a point. I saw the game, so I know who could've won... we could've lost as well, that's how it is. I think they had the last chance of the game, right? That would've been a great moment to finish it off. But we had a really good start into the game, [I] liked that a lot. Everything was there what we were working on. [We] scored two wonderful goals, one disallowed for offside, was really close. The build-up to that goal anyway was absolutely top-class. But then we opened the door for Chelsea. We lost the ball in one or two situations which was unnecessary and I think the second goal was around a set-piece. I'm not 100 per cent sure.
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The other goal when we won the ball, but we didn't clear it enough, but it was offside as well. But obviously Chelsea was better in the game. It was an open game then and second half with the crowd and all these things, we had to dig really deep and fight hard. In the end we got a point and that's OK. I saw a lot of things I liked and, of course, some things I didn't like particularly, but it's a first game in a tough place. I tend to see it rather positive, to be honest. So far in my career the first matchdays were always difficult and an away game at Chelsea as a first matchday is not a top draw. So we have a point and we keep working.
On Cody Gakpo's midfield role...
He was an eight. He had to do what an eight has to do... he played that pretty much all pre-season. He can play different positions. For players that's very important in modern football that we should get rid of these [set positions]. When we decided everybody can have their own number on the back then the No.2 was not a No.2 anymore and a No.6 was not a No.6 anymore... that was the first step in the right direction. I think modern football is like that. Players can play different positions and Dom Szoboszlai didn't play the position in his former club as well, he played more from the wing. Defensively, especially, offensively he was more half-space. So, the role suits him, definitely. He is for us super-important. I think today you could see the first game of the season [there were] a lot of spaces to cover, gaps to close and that was actually our problem in the game.
We tried to close the gaps by dropping instead of stepping in but we did in the beginning. Then they could find Sterling between the lines, James was all of a sudden in the game, Chilwell better in the game with his things. We should've solved it better. The best way to avoid these kind of things [is] obviously controlling the game [which] we could've done because when we did that we passed in the right moment and kept the ball in the right moment and created one [v] one situations on the wing, so it was really tricky for Chelsea to deal with. It's the first game, not the last, so we have a lot of things to improve [there's] no doubt about that, but I saw already a good basis.
On the substitution of Salah…
No, I didn't have a conversation yet with him. Actually, I don't think you ever saw Mo leaving the pitch happily - I can't remember it [and] that's OK, absolutely OK. Today, obviously, I didn't think in that moment about it, I didn't even know about it, that if he scored in the game it would've been an all-time record [on the opening day], so I understand his disappointment. But, I am the manager of the whole team and in that moment we needed fresh legs. I think that made real sense for us and it is never anything to do with Mo or whatever or against him, of course not. Ninety-nine per cent of the things we achieved were because of him or with him. That he was not happy was clear, I understand that and there is no problem.
On the introduction of more stoppage time…
I think last season some teams stretched it, definitely. And we are not one of these teams, we never were. I knew we would get a yellow card - probably the first yellow card - for timewasting with a throw-in. When Trent is looking for a player and tries to find a player, this is a tactical thing - he cannot just take the ball and throw it. It is a tactical thing... maybe we have to clarify it a little bit, but besides that I think too many teams stretched it and did it too obvious and that's why everybody thinks we should watch a bit more football. I don't know exactly what the net ball in play time was today, but that's how it is now. It was not a problem today for me, to be honest. What was it, first half six minutes? Because of the VAR decisions. And second half, five, I think. That's a lot but this is a time where we try to sort it like that. I am not sure that will last forever but at the moment it's like that and we have to deal with it.
On the new ruling regarding the number of coaching staff allowed in the technical area…
It is like that in the Champions League, anyway. Obviously we have first-team coaches, we have assistants, and they are all lively. It's absolutely fine, they get up and we just have to get used to it. Around the set-pieces, Pete Krawietz got up and then the fourth official told me, 'He cannot stay [there]' so I said what happens if I sit down. 'Yeah, then he can...' so I sat down. It's absolutely fine. We need to get used to it, but it's fine.