Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes Sunday's 3-0 loss against Watford will be the worst moment of his Reds career and said the team lost their mind after conceding an early goal that shouldn't have counted.
The Reds were soundly beaten by an in-form Watford squad and are now winless in their last three, including two losses. Per Liverpool FC News, Klopp hopes it won't get any worse than this:
Nathan Ake opened the score just minutes into the match after Adam Bogdan let the ball slip, although replays suggested the goalkeeper had the ball kicked out of his hands. Speaking to Sky Sports (h/t Jim Daly of the Daily Mirror), he thought the official made the wrong decision, although he refused to use the early goal as an excuse.
Instead, he thought it set the tone for the rest of the match:
The first one is his [Bogdan] fault, but then both hands on the ball, that is the goalkeeper safe, he has the ball, I think the referee didn’t see it. It was the wrong decision but we made more wrong decisions.
We lost our mind and stopped playing football. The second goal was very easy, we can defend this better.
We tried a bit in the first half and changed a bit half-time, the start to the second half was very good, we could have scored two goals, but we didn’t and then the third goal. Yeah, game over.
Odion Ighalo made it 2-0 after just 15 minutes, and the Hornets were never troubled after that. The team's in-form forward doubled his tally late in the second half to put the final score on the board.
Klopp didn't have any answers during the match, and things weren't any different during his post-match press conference. Per James Olley of the London Evening Standard, he didn't like being asked about the team's inconsistent form:
Liverpool FC News added this comment:
It was a fair question, however. Since Klopp took over, the Reds have produced a number of stunning displays, including a fantastic 4-1 win over Premier League title favourites Manchester City.
Liverpool have looked superb at times, even if it hasn't always led to wins. But the squad has also looked sluggish and almost disinterested, and per Neil Jones of the Liverpool Echo, Klopp explained that's also a side of his team:
He was also asked about his decision to start forward Christian Benteke on the bench, which he believes wouldn't even be an issue if the Reds had won the match:
While Klopp was brutally honest with his reaction to the loss, he remained cautiously optimistic. Per Liverpool FC News, he knows what the squad is capable of, despite Sunday's disappointing loss:
The manager is working with a squad that isn't his, he's only been at Anfield for a few months and he's being forced to deal with a number of injuries to key players. Veteran defender Martin Skrtel became but the latest to pick up a knock against Watford.
There were always going to be ups and downs during the first months of Klopp's tenure, and unless the Reds dive head-first into the January transfer market, the inconsistencies may last until the summer, when Klopp will finally have the chance to assess his squad and bring in the players he needs to succeed.
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