Liverpool have had better football moments but we weren’t good enough, asserts Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool lead Group D with 9 points
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Jurgen Klopp has confessed that his side were not good enough against Atalanta in a game that saw the Serie A side walk away as deserved winners. This comes after the Reds beat the same opponent 5-0 in the reverse game but Klopp’s side struggled this time around with La Dea walking away as winners.
A Diogo Jota hattrick in Bergamo saw Liverpool tear Atalanta apart as the Reds walked away 5-0 winners before the international break but things have changed since. With the Reds playing hosts in the second fixture between the two sides, Jurgen Klopp made five changes to the team that beat Leicester City and was forced to watch as his side struggled. In the end, Atalanta walked away as 2-0 winners with Liverpool ending the game for the first time without a shot on target.
Not only that, La Dea became the first team to win at Anfield in a 90 minute game since Chelsea managed that feat in September 2018 and it dealt an early blow to Liverpool’s chances of progressing through. While the Reds still top the group, they’ll need to beat Ajax in their next game to qualify and it saw Jurgen Klopp admit that his side need to remember this loss. The German added that his team were not good enough and the changes played a part in that.
"We made five changes, it was very important we did that, and in the end it didn't work out and that is part of the deal. I would do it again. (We had) no real rhythm, first half was not a good game at all, they were not good as well. We spoke about it but second half it didn't look like it (would change) and that is why we changed early,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
"A second before we could change (Klopp was in the process of making a quadruple substitution) they scored the first goal, in a space which we knew they tried to use and we couldn't defend in that moment. We had better football moments but not good enough. If you don't have a shot on target that is never a good sign."
