Jurgen Klopp insists Liverpool “lost the plot” in their shock 3-0 defeat to Atalanta in the Europa League quarter-final first leg at Anfield.
Former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca struck twice before Mario Pasalic added a third to leave Liverpool with a mountain to climb in Italy next Thursday.
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It was their first home defeat in all competitions since Real Madrid beat them 5-2 in the Champions League in February 2023.
“It was just a really bad game, oh my God,” Klopp said.
“We started really well but we didn’t continue. We just lost the plot a bit. We were everywhere and nowhere. The midfield was spread out. I didn’t recognise us. It was really strange. In football terms, that’s tactical discipline.
“We deserved to lose and we must feel that now. The boys have this night to feel bad about it. Then we have to build up again for Crystal Palace (in the Premier League on Sunday). Congratulations Atalanta, really well done.”
Asked why Liverpool had performed so poorly, Klopp added: “Atalanta cause many teams problems with the way they defend.
“I cannot remember a situation where they outplayed us but they won the ball and went from there. You need a lot of tactical discipline to do what they did. They did man marking all over the pitch. Man marking is uncomfortable when you are not on top of your game.
“If you are in a better playing mood than we were tonight then you can cause massive problems. We suffered from the way they defended.”
Liverpool have previous for launching unlikely comebacks in Europe but Klopp’s focus is on ensuring this result doesn’t negatively impact their Premier League title challenge.
“I’m not in the mood to think about the game in a week’s time. We have another game in between,” he said.
“This isn’t the time for having a big mouth about what we will do there. This was a low point for us performance wise tonight.”
Liverpool return to action on Sunday with a home match against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, before their visit to Bergamo to play Atalanta four days later.
(Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)