Tottenham - Liverpool (4 - 1): Everything depends on coach Klopp

(Baonghean.vn) - After a crushing 0-4 defeat to Tottenham, the dream of winning the championship has almost ended for the Port City team. This was predicted since the start of this year's season.

Speaking at a press conference, Klopp said: "The first goal would not have happened if I was on the pitch, but what can I do? I was in the technical area. It's not easy to face Tottenham, but what we can do is not leave too much space in front of the goal and clear the ball. We made too many mistakes in this match when we created too easy chances for them."

Disagreeing with the German strategist's statement, Man Utd legend Peter Schmeichel argued: "It must be emphasized that he rarely talks about himself, instead he kills the players. In fact, he doesn't help at all, they still defend the same way when Klopp first came. The way they defended today and all season is still naive, Klopp must clearly take responsibility. He should not put the responsibility on Lovren. Klopp needs to stand up first, that's unfair. The coach should be the one to take responsibility."

Center back Lovren (red shirt) was the worst player in the match Tottenham 4 - 1 Liverpool. Photo: Internet

The former Danish goalkeeper's statement is completely correct. Coach Klopp must take the main responsibility for Liverpool's defeat at Wembley against Tottenham and the team's poor performance since the beginning of the season.

The personal mistakes of Lovren, Matip, Mignolet... all come from the preparation and calculation of the 50-year-old captain. Instead of complaining and blaming his students, the former Dortmund coach should admit his mistakes and learn lessons for himself to help Liverpool return to the winning track.

The defeat to Tottenham was not a normal football accident, but a reflection of Liverpool's previous preparation. This was not the first time that The Kop's defense played like they were sleepwalking, giving away goals to the opponent.

Under Klopp, the Port City team has never been highly regarded for its defensive ability. Mistakes happen "like clockwork". Just look at the 16 goals Liverpool have conceded after 9 rounds of the Premier League so far and it is clear.

At the end of the 2016/2017 season, experts warned coach Klopp about the fragility of the defense. If Liverpool want to compete for the championship title, they must recruit at least one high-class center-back and a quality goalkeeper.

Ignoring the advice, the strategist born in 1967 not only did not bring in any face to play in the central defense position but also pushed out the center-back Sakho, despite the French player's good professional level and desire to stay at Anfield. Now, Sakho is playing quite well at Crystal Palace, while Liverpool is paying the price for the mistakes of the center-back duo Lovren - Matip.

The coach stood motionless on the bench watching his team being tormented by Tottenham. Photo: Internet

The most important position in defense is goalkeeper, Liverpool also has no capable face. Mignolet still plays inconsistently as in the past years, young goalkeeper Karius has not improved at all after arriving at Anfield. Put Mignolet and Karius next to Ederson (Man City), De Gea (Man Utd), Courtois (Chelsea) Hugo Lloris (Tottenham)... and you can clearly see the huge difference.

Mignolet's fourth goal against Tottenham clearly reflected that. Liverpool will likely have to cry many more times because of their backline.

With more than 2 months left until the winter transfer window, coach Klopp will have to "cut his coat according to his cloth" with the personnel he has in hand before finding suitable additions. Liverpool fans can only pray for Mignolet, Lovren, Matip... to make fewer elementary mistakes./.

Thanh Hung