Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool must prove they’re not complacent vs. small teams

Since his return to Anfield as a full-time academy coach, Liverpool have lost four out of five games, exited two cup competitions and fallen out of the title race (see below).

Liverpool must go one better than United and beat Hull in the league today.

And Klopp acknowledged that his team were way below standard on Humberside.

‘I’ve done so many interviews. The first half for sure was not enough.

Yet even Klopp himself sounded as if he could not fathom the reasons as he told the BBC after the game: “We gave both goals away easily, the overall performance was not like it should be”.

It has easily been Klopp’s worst run of form in his time at the club, a streak fans had hoped was finally over after a display worthy of three points against Chelsea finally ended a morbid January.

“I heard things about this before, too”, he said. “After a game like this, it’s not allowed to say something like that”.

“We showed exactly the kind of character, attitude and organisation we need for the rest of the season, and showed also that we have some quality in the team”.

There wasn’t much more movement in the second half – although the reds should have equalised when they played ping pong across the Hull 6 yard box – Milner and Coutinho failing to trouble the keeper.

N’Diaye, on loan from Spanish team Villarreal, pounced in the 44th minute after Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet had flapped at a corner. “That’s hard to accept”.

Not since the Liverpool manager’s champagne corks popped on New Year’s Eve after beating Manchester City has Klopp been able to drink in the glory of success in the Premier League.

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The Premier League match between Liverpool and Hull will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network. “The Champions League is an outstanding, big, big, big target – so many teams want to play there”.

“The changes from the bench needs to come a lot quicker”.

Hull’s mini-revival looks set to add to Liverpool’s recent woes as they have taken the lead at the KCOM Stadium.

“Liverpool unravelling in front of our eyes”, said Collymore.

First, Tom Huddlestone neatly played through Hernandez although the forward could do little more than flick an attempt into the side-netting under pressure.