As Liverpool prepare to take on Wolves in an FA Cup replay on Tuesday, manager Jurgen Klopp says his side must go back to basics to turn around their current crisis.
On Saturday, the Anfield outfit went down to their sixth defeat in the Premier League this season when they lost 3-0 at Brighton. The result left Klopp's team ninth in the table – 10 points off the Champions League places.
Liverpool were held 2-2 in the first FA Cup third-round clash against Wolves at Anfield and when asked about how he can remedy his team's dramatic loss of form ahead of the replay at Molineux, Klopp said they must become harder to beat.
“To play better football than we did at Brighton should not be too difficult,” he said. “We have to go back to basics and from there you can make steps. We have to be more compact
“These are football problems and you solve them with football. We have to play better, we have to defend. In too many moments, the pitch looks too big.
“We have to do some things slightly different and some things the same.”
Klopp vowed to field the strongest possible line-up against Wolves, but said he may have to make changes from the team that lost to Brighton.
“Wolves are in a good moment; they played well here, won the game at the weekend (1-0 at home to West Ham United). It will be tough,” Klopp said.
“Not all players who played the last game are available now for different reasons, and we will make changes. We want to win the game.
“I could say to the players who lost at Brighton, 'You got us in this situation, let's see how you get us out'. But that wouldn't be taking responsibility, I can't do that. I will take decisions, we will make changes. That makes sense.”
Meanwhile, Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui refused to talk about any new signings at the club ahead of the FA Cup replay with Liverpool.
Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier has confirmed attacking midfielder Pablo Sarabia is set to move to the Premier League, with Molineux his expected destination.
Flamengo midfielder Joao Gomes is also a target, with Wolves having already signed Matheus Cunha on an initial loan from Atletico Madrid.
“We will see, it’s true we have interest in some players but when they are here and our players we can talk about them, not before,” said Lopetegui.
“I want to put the focus on our players. We don’t want to waste energy on other things. We will talk only about our players.”
Liverpool 2 Wolves 2 - player ratings
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LIVERPOOL PLAYER RATINGS: Alisson 5 - A calamitous error gifted an early goal to Wolves, which provided the visitors an injection of confidence to get something from the game. EPA -
Andrew Robertson 6 - Brighter in the second half after allowing too much space to Adama Traore early on. AFP -
Ibrahima Konate 7 - Liverpool’s best defender on the day as Konate put aside a poor display at Brentford. Reuters -
Joel Matip 5 - Normally assured at bringing the ball out from the back, but his decision-making was poor against Wolves, with too many passes misplaced. Almost cost his team a goal when giving away possession in his own box. AFP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold 8 - Excellent going forward as one of Liverpool’s main outlets, with a pass to Nunez for the first goal that defined his overall performance. Defended well in isolation. AP -
Fabinho 6 - Positioned himself astutely to deal with the danger while also showing aggression when pressing. Reuters -
Thiago 6 - Not at his best. The midfielder needed time to grow into the game after giving the ball away on a number of occasions. Poor play in the build-up to the opener saw him give away possession before Alisson’s mistake. Getty -
Jordan Henderson 6 - Faded out of the game after a bright start and was eventually replaced. Getty -
Cody Gakpo 6 - Positive signs from his debut. Involved in Liverpool’s second goal with a pass that was helped onto Salah. AP -
Darwin Nunez 7 - An expert finish allowed Nunez to secure the equaliser for Liverpool after Alexander-Arnold’s pass. Quietened down in the second half in a physical battle with Nathan Collins. EPA -
Mohamed Salah 6 - Decision-making could have been better at times. He did get on the scoresheet through some good fortune before the chance, but Liverpool’s talisman needs to do more. EPA -
SUBS: Naby Keita (Henderson 68’) 7 - Allowed Liverpool to find a new gear when introduced, rarely making a wrong decision. EPA -
Harvey Elliott (Fabinho 75’) N/R - Didn’t do much when introduced. EPA -
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Gakpo 84’) N/R - Came on in place of Gakpo but didn’t have enough time to influence the game. Reuters -
Joe Gomez (Alexander-Arnold 85’) N/R - On for Alexander-Arnold for the final five minutes. AFP -
Ben Doak (Salah 85’) N/R - Showed confidence but never found himself in promising areas. EPA -
WOLVES PLAYER RATINGS: Matija Sarkic 6 - Not much he could have done about either of the goals he conceded on the night. Getty -
Jonny Otto 6 - Showed intensity with his defending and tracked runs well from the back. Booked for a foul on Henderson in the second half. AFP -
Toti Gomes 5 - A costly error for the second goal allowed Salah to capitalise, even if there were arguments the Egyptian was offside. Perhaps unlucky to have his winner ruled out for offside. PA -
Nathan Collins 7 - Brave in the challenge against Nunez and put in a very respectable display in the air, particularly in the second half where he helped keep the Uruguay international quiet. Getty -
Dexter Lembikisa 7 - Kept tight to Gakpo and stood up well despite Liverpool targeting his flank. The Reds didn’t enjoy as much success as they hoped for down Lembikisa’s side. PA -
Joseph Hodge 7 - The 20-year-old battled well throughout the game and was quick to apply pressure to Thiago. A solid performance from midfield. PA -
Ruben Neves 8 - Dictated the play well from the middle of the park and was at the heart of the majority of Wolves’ promising attacks. The Portugal international avoided pressure well on the ball and showed composure in possession, all while demonstrating his excellent passing range. AP -
Rayan Ait-Nouri 6 - Bright when given space and attacked directly, though he should have done better with his finish against Alisson. AP -
Goncalo Guedes 8 - Dispossessed Matip early on and then did the same by cutting off the angle against Alisson. A bright display. Reuters -
Adama Traore 6 - Kept wide and impressed with his delivery into the box. Unlucky not to pick up an assist when flashing a ball across the box in the 38th minute, but quiet after the restart. Getty -
Raul Jimenez 6 - Worked hard but struggled against Konate at times. His runs helped create space for players around him. PA -
SUBS: Matheus Nunes (Jimenez 63’) 6 - Gave away the ball in needless moments, and looked to be the player adjudged to be offside in what could have been the winning goal. Getty -
Matheus Cunha (Neves 63’) 5 - Quiet when introduced. Reuters -
Hwang Hee-chan (Guedes 63’) 7 - Rewarded for his work ethic with a goal when running directly at the Liverpool defence before continuing his run to get onto the end of a cross. AFP -
Nelson Semedo (Lembikisa 68’) 6 - Helped keep Liverpool’s attacks quiet down his side. Stretched play with his pace when looking to break. Reuters -
Hugo Bueno (Ait-Nouri 73’) N/R - Rarely had a touch when substituted on, but didn’t make any mistakes defensively. Getty
Wolves were furious after Toti Gomes’ goal was ruled out for a controversial offside in the 2-2 draw at Anfield, with the club writing to referees’ chief Howard Webb to ask for an explanation.
Diego Costa could return to the squad after missing Saturday’s victory over West Ham while Sasa Kalajdzic (knee), Boubacar Traore (groin) and Pedro Neto (ankle) are out.
“Liverpool are one of the best teams in the world,” added Lopetegui. “The quality of his [Jurgen Klopp] players, the coach, his history.
“I’m sure they’re going to come here and look to do a big match. We have to be ready to overcome them.
“The FA Cup is going to be an important aim for them – us too – we have to fight to overcome one of the best teams in the world.
“It’s more or less the same (how Wolves deal with Liverpool following the original draw), maybe they can change something but we only focus on what we want to do.
“When you play every three days it’s not a lot of time to prepare so you have to balance the time to be able to work with the team.”
Brighton 3 Liverpool 0 - player ratings
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BRIGHTON RATINGS: Robert Sanchez 6 - Not a great deal to deal with as he watched his side nullify Liverpool’s attack. PA -
Pervis Estupinan 8 - Excellent going forward, in particular with his link-up play with Mitoma. Overlapping runs helped create plenty of space for his side. Getty -
Levi Colwill 8 - Unlucky not to pick up an assist with an excellent pass in the first half, and looked assured as he dealt with everything. Superb from the 19-year-old centre-back. AFP -
Lewis Dunk 7 - Organised his side from the back well and was aggressive when challenging for duels. Reuters -
Pascal Gross 7 - Kept Andy Robertson quiet on his flank while producing a number of impressive passes to help progress the ball into dangerous areas. Getty -
Alexis Mac Allister 7 - Controlled the game and was able to beat Liverpool’s press with ease. Getty -
Moises Caicedo 7 - Pressed aggressively from midfield and helped win the ball back in promising areas. AP -
Kaoru Mitoma 9 - There was a feeling that something could happen every time Mitoma touched the ball, on a night where he was almost impossible to deal with. PA -
Adam Lallana 7 - Looked bright in the No 10 role and often glided past Liverpool defenders with quick movement. Rarely made a wrong decision. AFP -
Solly March 10 - Got his side up and running with the first, but his second goal of the evening was from the top drawer as he flashed a shot past Alisson. Picked up an assist for the third goal. Reuters -
Evan Ferguson 7 - Battled hard against Konate and took up some promising positions. Could have got himself on the scoresheet with better finishing. EPA -
SUBS: Danny Welbeck (Ferguson, 66) 7 - An excellent piece of skill beat Joe Gomez before firing home to seal the win for Brighton. AFP -
Joel Veltman (Lallana, 66) 6 - Helped defend when Liverpool were fighting to get back into the game. AFP -
Jeremy Sarmiento (Mac Allister, 83) N/R. Tariq Lamptey (Mitoma, 91) N/R. Adam Webster (Dunk, 91), Getty -
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson 5 - Almost conceded a penalty in the first half. Simply simply too much to deal with. AP -
Andy Robertson 5 - Anonymous going forward and struggled to win the battle on his flank. Getty -
Ibrahima Konate 7 - In the search for positives, Liverpool can look to Ibrahima Konate, who was Jurgen Klopp’s best performer, dealing well with many of Brighton’s best attacks. PA -
Joel Matip 6 - Had to do better for the first goal, but he did his best behind a non-existent midfield. Helped out Alexander-Arnold against the threat of Mitoma. AP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold 6 - Endured a difficult battle with Mitoma, but did spark Liverpool’s attack, with two crosses that his team should have done more with. AP -
Fabinho 4 - Rarely in the right positions to make an impact. Didn’t seem to have an answer to Brighton’s attack. AP -
Thiago 5 - Normally the midfielder that can help get the game under control, but there was none of that at the Amex Stadium. Some good interventions helped break up the play. Getty -
Jordan Henderson 4 - Slow to react and couldn’t make an impact at either end of the pitch. Booked for fouling Caicedo in the first half. AP -
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain 5 - A poor header in the second half could have been the turning point, but couldn’t get the right connection. EPA -
Cody Gakpo 4 - Has to be better with his final ball, though his service was extremely limited on the day. AP -
Mohamed Salah 4 - Crowded out and failed to make an impact. Reuters -
SUBS: Naby Keita (Oxlade-Chamberlain, 68) 6 - Pressed well but the game was already out of sight. AFP -
Harvey Elliott (Fabinho, 69) 6 - Worked hard when introduced, much to his credit with Liverpool being 3-0 down. Getty -
Ben Doak (Henderson, 69) 6 - Gave the ball away more often than he would have liked, but it was a hard match to come into for the 17-year-old winger. EPA -
Joe Gomez (Matip, 69) 5 - Slow for the third goal where Danny Welbeck was able to flick the ball past him before striking home. Getty
