After a run of four draws in their past six league games, Liverpool ended the weekend behind Manchester City for the first time in three months having played the same number of games as Pep Guardiola’s defending champions.
And Jurgen Klopp’s post-match interview after a 0-0 draw with Merseyside rivals Everton left many fans (neutral or otherwise) wondering if Liverpool have lost the plot in the title race a tad bit.
It’s now the new normal for managers to try and take the attention away from poor results by finding things to blame other than players (Jose Mourinho was the master of that art) but even by that standard, Klopp’s blaming of the wind at Goodison Park took everyone by surprise.
“Very, very difficult game for different reasons,” Klopp told Sky Sports after the match. “A wild opponent and - I know people don’t like it when I say this - the wind came from all different directions, you saw that in a lot of situations.
“It didn’t help any football play, especially when the ball was in the air which it was a lot. In a game that was difficult to control because of those things, we had I think three or four really big chances.”
“It’s 0-0 in a derby, we keep our unbeaten run against Everton but, of course, it’s not exactly what we wanted but it is easy to accept because it was a difficult game,” he said.
The celebrations from the home supporters on the final whistle indicated how much they believe they have damaged Liverpool’s hopes of securing a first league title in 29 years.
Klopp, however, remained defiant and continues to see evidence that his players have the resilience to cope with the pressure of one of the most tense title races in years.
“I don’t have to give my players any advice, they know already,” said Klopp. “They’re not little boys any more.
“Sometimes you have the lead and people say it’s done when there are 20 games to go to the end of the season, and now they have one or two more points than us. It’s the beginning of March, who cares?
“I believe 100 percent in our chances. I know that game-by-game my feeling gets better about the boys because they look ready for it.
“Today, of course, we didn’t score, that can happen. A difficult game, opponent, and the wind and weather circumstances didn’t help for football in general, it was just a fight.
“We were ready for that today and now we have a point more than before – all good.”
But, all was not good for Liverpool fans on social media, as Klopp’s comments invited a fair bit of ridicule, laced with humour, of course.
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