ReactionPress conference: What Jürgen Klopp loved from Liverpool 3-1 Sheffield United
Jürgen Klopp declared himself pleased with Liverpool's ability to adjust tactically in Thursday night's 3-1 victory over Sheffield United at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister's stunning strike 14 minutes from the end helped the Reds regain top spot in the Premier League and stay two points clear of Arsenal.
Klopp's men went 1-0 up in the first half when Darwin Nunez charged down an attempted clearance out from goalkeeper Ivo Grbic.
The visitors equalised just before the hour mark through Gustavo Hamer's header deflecting in off Conor Bradley, but the lead was regained courtesy of Mac Allister's beautiful Kop-end hit and increased by Cody Gakpo late on.
Read what Klopp had to say at his post-match press conference…
On the manner of the win...
As a manager, you have to take it like you get it. I would prefer to be 5-0 up at that moment already but that's tricky. We scored one of my favourite goals ever, 1-0, because I think from time to time a striker needs that kind of thing. I ask him quite a lot to press the opponent and it's quite rare that you get really close enough to have this kind of block, but he did and then scores, 1-0. That's great. And then these kind of games are difficult. Low block, obviously learning that their set-pieces are really difficult after 20 seconds when they could have been 1-0 up, which would have been really funny again, and then in the next corner again the ball goes through and there is nobody at the far post – thank God, otherwise that would have been again a big chance.
Then obviously we controlled the game but there are different ways to control a football game and the way we controlled it today was not the right one with not enough creating. I don't expect now that we have chance after chance after chance because they didn't even have counter-attacks if I'm right. If I would have asked the boys for the counter-press, it was not necessary because we won the ball back anyway, so it's like you don't even have these kind of moments. What you have to do, we saw that after 60 minutes. You have to accelerate, you have to speed up, you have to overlap, underlap – and that's what we did all of a sudden.
The example, Robbo [Andy Robertson] going down the line constantly, which was really helpful. That's the problem, the game was a difficult one to get rhythm but we should have had a better rhythm than we had. That's what we got after 60 or whatever. OK, we needed then Macca's wondergoal obviously to turn it properly around, but the third goal was exactly like it should have been before already, these kind of moments – Robbo full speed, wonderful cross, sensational header and then we won the game.
In the end, all good. I don't know when we face next time a similar challenge, probably all the other games are now different, especially the next one. But super-positive the boys on, Curtis [Jones] back, Robbo trained now three days or so, really helpful, Harvey [Elliott]. Cody, not out but a really good game, which he needed as well. Really pleased and that helps obviously. Nobody got injured already as far as I know today, so recovery started already and now we recover and go again.
On Mac Allister...
I would rather prefer you all use your eyes and just say what you see because it's obvious, I would say. Super-important player for us, what a wonderful boy. I met his dad after the game, he said 'thank you', I said 'gracias'! That was the full conversation. 'Hola' I said as well and then my Spanish ends. Wonderful player, wonderful boy. I'm really happy for Liverpool that we got him.
On Mac Allister playing in an advanced role...
I understand 100 per cent that that's coming now but he played a good game in the first half already. It was not about him being in the position. It makes probably even more sense. But all the movements around were then not exactly like [they] should have been. If we talk about Macca and is he better on eight or six, they are two different subjects to talk about. One is this defensive part – that was obviously really good – where people probably were doubting him a little bit, 'Can he be this kind of defensive midfielder?' But for the other position, he could have had a similar impact.
Yes, I prefer him as well on eight but we are not living in dreamland, so we had the problem on the position tonight and, in the end, it worked out. But yes, the impact, we saw as well that it would be helpful to have him between the lines, between the right lines, their last line. That's why we changed. But then we changed back to a double six – there he was deeper again. I don't even exactly know when he scored – if it was from the double six, probably, where we played already 4-4-2, I think, and it was not on eight. But the impact he can have is massive everywhere.
