Jurgen Klopp has made a ‘promise’ to Liverpool fans after his team suffered an abject 0-3 defeat at home to Atalanta on Thursday night.
The Reds have little time to stew upon that horror show, with Crystal Palace coming to Anfield on Sunday as our focus switches back to the Premier League title race.
Reflecting on the dismal display against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side, the 56-year-old said (via liverpoolfc.com): “I don’t think it’s a general low point, even when you can see it like that as well – it was performance-wise a low point. The good thing about a really bad performance is that it’s easy to play better. So we should start from there.”
FOLLOW Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
Klopp then vowed that Liverpool will produce a backlash from last night’s feeble display, saying: “Yes, we have to show a reaction. Definitely, 100%, that is clear. But I cannot plan the reaction 20 minutes after the game. I will think about that.
“It is now not the first time in my life that I lost a football game, unfortunately. And yes, we will show a reaction, I can promise.”
READ MORE: Klopp explains why he didn’t call upon Trent during Liverpool’s defeat to Atalanta
Actions invariably speak louder than words in football, so Liverpool fans can be forgiven for remaining a tad cynical about a ‘reaction’ being produced unless they see it for themselves on the pitch on Sunday.
You’d like to think that the performance against Atalanta was so insipid that it’ll provide the proverbial kick up the backside for Klopp and his squad to raise their levels considerably if they’re to beat Palace and keep their Premier League title challenge on track.
The good news for the Reds is that they’ve yet to lose consecutive games this season, which suggests that whenever they fall to defeat, there is indeed an appropriate response in the next fixture to illustrate that it was merely a blip rather than the start of a descent into a prolonged trough.
Immediately before facing the Eagles at Anfield in the 2019/20 campaign, Liverpool laboured to a goalless draw away to Everton. Three days later, they responded by thumping the south Londoners 4-0 with an emphatic performance.
The same again would be most welcome after the sobering manner of their loss to Atalanta last night.