Klopp: Sadio Mane’s handball v Sunderland changed everything

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Jurgen Klopp has urged Liverpool as a club and fanbase to not be so reactionary next season.

There were times this campaign just gone that Liverpool looked like genuine world-beaters, beating Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, but others in which we floundered against so-called lesser sides.

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Following these results, good and bad, there was hyperbolic statements of our brilliance or our uselessness – and the boss told Liverpool’s official website that this needs to change in 2016/17.

Klopp picked out a defining moment over the New Year, when we beat City, but then went to Sunderland and threw away a 2-1 lead. This was the start of a run in which we won just one game in ten, and that was an FA Cup Replay with Plymouth…

“It’s unbelievable when you think at the end of the year, Manchester City, what a game [from] both sides,” he began.

“Running, good football, defending together, tactically good – what a commercial for football. Only one goal, but a commercial for football.

“Two days later, it felt like another kind of sport. Going to Sunderland, two penalties for them, a handball of Sadio – it was handball but nobody, Sadio included, could explain why he did it.

“In this moment, this club and this city maybe, we have to learn to take moments like this like they are. Don’t make them bigger.

“[At Liverpool], we are like, if you win against Manchester City the world could not be nicer, you draw at Sunderland and everything is terrible and that’s the start of something bad.

“Yes, it was not good, [but] we missed players, players came back who were not in shape, we all know.”

Klopp’s right, but by adding strength in depth this summer, we’ll be far more capable of avoiding such a collapse next season.

During January, Mane was at the AFCON and Coutinho had just returned from an injury, meaning our two best players were not dragging us to victories.

In 2016/17, when they’re not blowing hot, the likes of Roberto Firmino, Adam Lallana and the soon to be signed Mo Salah need to be instead.

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