Liverpool suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat at Brighton and will finish Saturday ninth in the table if Brentford beat Bournemouth in the day’s final Premier League fixture
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Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool’s 3-0 thumping by Brighton was the worst game of his Anfield tenure.
Klopp’s side were dismantled at the Amex thanks to Solly March’s brace and Danny Welbeck’s late strike. The result leaves Liverpool eighth in the Premier League and they will finish the day one spot lower if Brentford beat Bournemouth in Saturday’s final game.
Liverpool are enduring a tricky season under Klopp, as they’ve won just eight of their 18 Premier League fixtures. They find themselves seven points behind Newcastle in fourth and are in serious danger of missing out on Champions League football next term.
“Bad, really bad,” Klopp told the BBC’s Match of the Day. “I can’t remember a worse game. It’s not difficult maybe. Brighton were the better team, it was well deserved. They played really well. It was a very organised team against a not very organised team.
“We gave the ball away, the spaces were too big and we couldn’t push up. That is obviously not good, especially against a super well-drilled side like Brighton.
“They got more confident and we did the opposite. I can imagine they are very happy because it was a great performance and we made it too easy in too many moments. I had an idea to change the formation which was to try help the team. That was the idea.
“But we never did it properly. We were always a bit in between and that’s the worst thing you can do. We could have done better but we didn’t and that’s why I looked the way it did. We need to be creative with the options we have. What I saw today from my team was that they were not really convinced by it. That’s it.”
Klopp was then asked what’s going wrong, to which he replied: “How can you explain that? The same players played outstanding football matches but if things aren’t properly organised then it can look like that. We were always a bit late and things like this.
“If you don’t win key challenges and lose the ball too easily they are the two worst things that can happen in football. There is no formation that can solve that.”
Klopp was spotted apologising to Liverpool supporters at the end of Saturday afternoon’s game. The Reds thought they had turned a corner after winning four consecutive Premier League games in November and December, but they have now suffered back-to-back losses after Brentford inflicted a 3-1 defeat on them earlier this month.
Liverpool have shown in recent seasons that they are capable of putting big winning runs together, but they must find form sooner rather than later if they are to finish inside the top four. Their next Premier League game is against Chelsea in seven days’ time.
Klopp was also asked if he’s concerned. He admitted: “Yeah, how can you not be after a game like this? I cannot stand here and say it didn’t happen. Of course, we have to be very concerned about it.”
