‘Let’s keep going’ – Jürgen Klopp’s reaction after Karlsruher 2-4 Liverpool

The Reds got their pre-season schedule off to a winning start thanks to Diogo Jota’s double in added time at BBBank Wildpark.

Darwin Nunez had given the visitors an early first-half lead but efforts from Lars Stindl and Sebastian Jung either side of half-time put the 2. Bundesliga outfit 2-1 up. 

Cody Gakpo then levelled the affair midway through the second period, before Jota struck in the 92nd and 93rd minute. 

Read on for Liverpoolfc.com’s post-match interview with the manager…

On the game…

Yeah, the workout was good obviously and you could see it was intense for the boys. I liked in the first half the start, a few other things, but then we became a bit stiff, didn’t play as well as we could. The start of the second half when we respect the formation, when we are calmer… I said to the boys already in the second half after 20 minutes, ‘I think you played double the passes from the last line into the half-spaces than the complete first half.’ Whereas we were waiting, give the ball to Trent, let’s see what he can do – and that makes no sense. 

But it’s fine, it’s early days, that’s how it is. But you realise then, ‘OK, no, that’s not exactly like it works.’ But you could see in the second half what Cody, Diogo, Macca, with the kids right and left what they can do there. James on six together with Kosti, honestly, it’s a pure joy, the boy never played that position before in his life. Yeah, last line, good. Good. 

So we win a game 4-2 but you can lose it, of course. They were good, good organised, but they scored two worldies, hey? Wow! And fine. But, of course, that’s now nicer [that] the boys have tomorrow the first day off since we started, so let’s use that for recovery and then we go again. Yeah, I liked a lot and the atmosphere was good as well. Karlsruher, obviously everybody enjoyed the new stadium – that’s how it should be.

On trying new things in fixtures like these…

Well look, first half it was clear, the new boys – the kids and Dom – were the best in counter-press. So they obviously say, ‘Oh my God, the boss said this and that’ and they go. They all have to do that. It’s not that because it’s my idea, it’s just because we have to do it in common. I liked Dom a lot, especially when he was half-left, looked really good, Bobby did really well, Conor Bradley was super, so that’s all positive signs. Let’s keep going, let’s keep going. This is not a season-defining game – we know that – but we came through and, as far as I know, nobody has any issues. Good. 

On the strikers scoring the goals…

You have to ask them but I’m pretty sure they’re pretty happy about that; I’m pretty happy about it, so that’s good. Yeah, we could have scored [in the] first half already, I’m pretty sure this was a pen on Diogo, wow. It’s all fine. We need to have problems in a pre-season – we had them, we overcame them today, good. Nobody injured, 45 minutes in everybody’s legs, let’s keep going.

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