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Liverpool Echo

Sport

Paul Gorst

Jurgen Klopp makes Liverpool job admission as 'explanations' shared for slump

Jurgen Klopp Liverpool Steven Gerrard Ajax EPL Fulham Nottingham Forest

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool are ready to roll up their sleeves and get the season on track as they eye a place in the last 16 of the Champions League at Ajax on Wednesday night.

A draw at the Johan Cruyff ArenA will see the Reds into the knockout stages of the European Cup for the sixth successive season but it's their domestic form that is flattering at present.

Having recorded back-to-back home wins against Manchester City and West Ham United in the last 10 days, Klopp's men slumped to a demoralising defeat at Nottingham Forest on Saturday lunchtime, which leaves them in eighth after 11 games played in the Premier League. It was their third loss of the campaign already, more than they suffered across the entirety of last term.

Klopp admits it is a stressful time just now but says he is not shirking the challenge of bringing back the kind of form that has seen them contest three Champions League finals since 2018.

"The job is always quite stressful," Klopp said. "But if you win all the time, it’s nicer! Life around winning football games is much better. Can I explain it? Yeah, it’s a mix of a few things we can see. You see the performances and they are not as consistent as they were, but there are explanations for that.

"Injuries are a little bit, but in the very beginning, we played against Man City, played very well [in the Community Shield], then started the Premier League against Fulham and didn’t play well. Then we played against Crystal Palace at home, played well for very early in the season, but got a red card and drew the game.

"Then already we were a little bit playing catch-up with everything. We couldn’t put in consistent performances so far, that’s the point we know, but we were actually in a good moment until we lost against Nottingham Forest in a strange game with a lot of problems for us.

"Some players were injured, some players were not allowed to play but were there, let me say it like this, and then you play against a deep-defending side and you lose from a set-piece when you should win. So, do I expect us to play better consistently? Yes. Am I ready to make the necessary steps to get there? Yes.

"Very good performances on a consistent level don’t fall off trees, you have to work for it and go for it in the long term. That’s what we are doing, we are working on trying to turn each screw without being nervous or thinking it is going against us. We know it is a difficult situation, it will be difficult again tomorrow away against Ajax, but I think it makes sense anyway to be optimistic, and that’s what I am.

"In this competition it’s not that big so far, we lost one and we won one! First away game was Fulham, not a good game. Actually, the first away game was City (Community Shield), a very good game! But no, I have not thought about it, to be honest.

"It’s not in my mind, sitting here thinking we have an away problem and I have to say something special for tomorrow. I prepare the team for a very important football game. Sorry, I am not prepared for this question at this moment. I’ve had other things to do the last few days."

On the prospect of another crack at the knockout stages of Europe's premier competition, Klopp added: "It would be absolutely great, but I cannot sit here and tell you I feel it already, as if we were already halfway through.

"There’s a game, 95 minutes, and if it happens then I can tell you it was really big and really important. But at this moment we are just preparing for the game. After our start in the group stage, it was not that people thought it was likely that this [being through early] could happen, but it has, and now we have to try and close it for us. That’s why we are here."

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