Jurgen Klopp shares thoughts on 'strange' Luton draw
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp admitted that his team were far from their best during their 1-1 draw with Luton on Sunday, a match he described as "strange".
"[It was a] strange game. Strange feeling after the game. I think we should have won, but I think the draw is the deserved result – and we could have lost, so that's how it is," he told press following the game.
Lacking calm
Klopp admitted that Luton did "really well", but nonetheless thought that his side were wasteful on the day.
"We created chances and didn't finish them off with the last conviction, to be 100 per cent honest. We were not calm enough in these moments. We should have scored and we should have created, but first and foremost it was alright – we created probably enough, just put one or two to bed and it's fine and you win 1-0 or 2-0."
Poor first half
The German explained that he wasn't happy with his team's first-half showing, particularly in terms of counter-pressing: "I take [it] personally, to be honest."
"I told the boys at half-time, good, good, here good, be calm, be patient, stay patient, stuff like this and then if we would now put counter-pressing into that it would be really helpful because we [can] have much more possession phases, longer possession phases, [and] they are less organised in these moments."
Klopp explained that with Luton's game plan based on set pieces and counter-attacks, "you have to make sure beforehand that they are not in the game anymore, but they were in the game".
In the end, Luton's go-ahead goal came via a counter-attack - one that Klopp thinks was preventable: "We should have won that ball – or shouldn't have lost the ball – at the 18-yard line."
Diaz leveller
That said, the coach praised the spirit his side showed - Luis Diaz, in particular.
"That we have to talk about that, it's wonderful, it's emotional and it's fantastic," Klopp said, referring to Diaz's 95th-minute equaliser.
"After the game no words were necessary. We just gave each other a hug. We know how he is – OK but desperately waiting for the right news. That's all.
"We had moments like this in the past. I understand 100 per cent that it's a nice story, honestly, and it's super-positive and great for him but these things go by," he said, but stressed, "The real information we need is a different information. That's it. But anyway, it's a really, really positive thing for him. But all the other problems stay the same."