Jurgen Klopp has claimed the fixture list was a “crime” as he jumped to the defence of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after Manchester United fielded a weakened team against Leicester and suffered a defeat that means it is unlikely Liverpool will qualify for the Champions League.
Liverpool are likely to face a full-strength United side on Thursday after Solskjaer made 10 changes for Tuesday's 2-1 defeat, which leaves Leicester nine points ahead of Klopp's side, but the German says his team will be to blame if they do not finish in the top four.
Klopp insisted he would have adopted the same approach as Solskjaer as he questioned why, instead of moving Liverpool’s Sunday clash with West Bromwich Albion so they could go to Old Trafford this weekend, United were given three games in five days after the postponement of their original match against the 2020 champions.
“It was the line-up I expected,” the Liverpool manager said. “To play Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday is a crime but that is not the fault of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the players. My question to myself was: Would I have done the same? Yes, you have to.
“I am not the guy doing the schedule but the weekend after is a weekend off for United. The explanation from the Premier League was that no other team should suffer for the things that happened in Manchester and that didn’t work out pretty well: a little bit [for] West Ham, a little bit [for] Liverpool. But if we don’t go to the Champions League, it is not the fault of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, it is our fault.
“Our season was really difficult but we know we should have five or six points [more] even with the injuries we have and then we would be closer to the Champions League spots. Now we need help from other teams.”
Liverpool 2 Southampton: player ratings
-
LIVERPOOL RATINGS: Alisson Becker - 8. The Brazilian made a number of important saves, most notably from Adams and Redmond moments before the opening goal. The goalkeeper’s misplaced pass late in the game might have proved costly but he made amends by smothering Adams’ shot. AFP -
Trent Alexander-Arnold - 6. The 22-year-old was calm on the ball and his passing and crossing were effective. He was less assured defensively. AFP -
Nathaniel Phillips - 6. The 24-year-old was tested by Tella and Adams but defended stoutly. He sent a header wide from a first-half corner when he might have done better. Reuters -
Rhys Williams - 6. Strong in the air and in the tackle. The 20-year-old found himself in some difficult situations but managed to stay in control. He improved as the game went on. AFP -
Andrew Robertson - 6. The Scot was penned back for periods but was always eager to get forward. He looked less tired than in recent games. EPA -
Fabinho - 8. The Brazilian set the tempo in midfield. He moved the ball on quickly, broke up opposition attacks and kept a watchful eye on the defence. EPA -
Georginio Wijnaldum - 6. The Dutchman hit the top of the bar and policed the midfield energetically. He faded a little as the game went on. Reuters -
Thiago Alcantara - 7.The 30-year-old will be buoyed by his first goal for the club. He was deployed in an advanced position but had to drop deep in search of the ball. AFP -
Mohamed Salah - 7. The Egyptian was a constant threat. He worried the defence, worked Forster and provided the cross for the opening goal. Replaced by Oxlade-Chamberlain with three minutes left. Reuters -
Diogo Jota - 6. The Portuguese buzzed around the area and forced Forster to save in each half. He gave the ball away too often and was substituted for Firmino in the 79th minute. AFP -
Sadio Mane - 7. The Senegalese was sharp against his former club and was rewarded with the opening goal. He seems to have recaptured some form. Withdrawn in stoppage time to give Jones an outing. EPA -
SUB: Roberto Firmino – 7. A fine cameo by the Brazilian. After joining the game for Jota with 11 minutes to go, he held up the ball and helped create Thiago’s goal. AFP -
SUB: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5. Sent on in place of Salah with three minutes remaining, the Englishman had little chance to influence the action. AFP -
SUB: Curtis Jones – 5. Given a run-out in stoppage time for Mane. The 20-year-old will be hoping for more minutes on the pitch. Reuters -
SOUTHAMPTON RATINGS: Fraser Forster - 6. The 33-year-old made a number of good stops to keep Liverpool out. Perhaps he could have come for Salah’s cross for the opening goal. EPA -
Kyle Walker-Peters - 5. The 23-year-old was outmuscled by Mane for the opening goal. He needed to be stronger defensively but he did cause Liverpool problems going forward. AFP -
Jan Bednarek - 4. The Pole has been out of sorts for a while and he was no better at Anfield. He was particularly uncertain in the early stages. AFP -
Jannik Vestergaard - 7. The Dane was powerful in the air and commanded the defence. He produced plenty of blocks and tackles and stopped one dangerous effort from Wijnaldum. AFP -
Jack Stephens - 5. The 27-year-old endured a difficult evening against Salah. He was vulnerable to diagonal balls into his area of the pitch. Reuters -
James Ward-Prowse - 6. The Englishman was quick to sniff out dangerous situations and cut out the threat. His passing was clever and should have had better reward. AFP -
Stuart Armstrong - 4. The Scot had a poor first half and gave the ball away too often. He improved after the break and was less wasteful. AFP -
Theo Walcott - 3. The former Everton forward had little impact on the game. He drifted wide and found it hard to get on the ball. Replaced by Diallo with 24 minutes to go. AFP -
Nathan Tella - 5. The 21-year-old’s movement was good and he found space in the Liverpool area. Unfortunately he could not make the best of his chances and headed straight at Alisson. Taken off in the 66th minute for Obafemi. Reuters -
Nathan Redmond - 6. The 27-year-old had some joy running at the defence. His final ball mostly went astray, except for the chance wasted by Tella. EPA -
Che Adams - 4. The 24-year-old missed two excellent chances. His attempt to score when presented with the ball by Alisson late in the game was tame. Withdrawn for Djenepo with 11 minutes left. Reuters -
SUB: Michael Obafemi – 6. The Irishman was brought on for Tella in the 66th minute to provide an injection of pace. He stretched the defence and set up a chance for Diallo. AFP -
SUB: Ibrahima Diallo – 5. The Frenchman replaced Walcott with 24 minutes left and was much more productive. He shot straight at Alisson when in a good position. AFP -
SUB: Moussa Djenepo – 5. Joined the action in place of Adams with 11 minutes to go as Southampton chased the game. This was the sixth different position he has played and he struggled to find rhythm. EPA
In particular, Klopp rued late equalisers his team have conceded to Leeds and Newcastle in recent weeks. He added: "We are not that bad in the form table but there were two draws where we lost the game in the last minute and that felt really harsh. We could never get that feeling of a winning streak."
Virgil van Dijk has been ruled out of Euro 2020 with a cruciate ligament injury. While Holland manager Frank de Boer had hoped to pick his captain, Klopp insisted it was always improbable the defender would be fit in time.
“With Virgil, it is one of the most serious injuries you can get,” he said. “I don’t know how it came up he has a chance for the Euros. The injury he has has an average of 11 months [to come back]. It happened in October so that is September. I never wanted to cut the Euros off but in common sense there is no chance.”
Klopp said Jordan Henderson, who has been out since February with a groin problem, is a doubt for England and will not play again for Liverpool this season.
“Hendo's not out yet,” he said. “That is a decision between Gareth [Southgate] and Hendo but I think there is a chance, for sure.”
Klopp was quick to congratulate Manchester City for winning their third Premier League title in four years.
He texted both Pep Guardiola and his former Borussia Dortmund midfielder Ilkay Gundogan on Tuesday and said: “What they achieved so far is exceptional. Five titles in 10 years: when you bring together financial sources and football knowledge you have a good chance to create something special. City have an incredible squad and the best manager in the world and that is an incredible recipe.”
