Jurgen Klopp got it wrong last night…
He picked a weakened side and was punished for it away in Serbia at an extremely difficult stadium.
Red Star were up for it, battled, took their moments and then held out bravely. In fairness, they deserved the victory and now it’s all to play for with two games of the group left.
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‘Blood on his hands…’ Some Liverpool fans react to horror miss
It could have been much different though if Daniel Sturridge had tapped in from five-yards out in the 17th minute.
Somehow, the striker blazed over when it was easier to score and minutes later, Red Star took the lead and added a second not long after.
“We had a lot of moments when we could get in control of the game and we didn’t do it, we just made the wrong decision,” Klopp told a post-match press-conference.
“I saw a few games like this already and it is really difficult to find your mojo back.
“The first big chance to Daniel was a very big one. If—big if—we had scored early the game would have changed but we didn’t.
“We gave them too many set-pieces. They scored with a header from a corner and the second goal was out of the blue.
“We gave the ball away and that’s not cool in a game like this, an atmosphere like this, a situation like this. You then have to play your best football in a negative mood. it was a blow.
“We made life a bit too easy for Belgrade. That is the main problem.”
Sturridge would score that chance nine times out of ten, so the fact he missed it sums up Liverpool’s evening.
In the second-half, Mo Salah hit the post and Andrew Robertson’s cross deflected onto the bar, but in truth, it would have been lucky if we’d have got back into the game.
We really hope the team can bounce back against Fulham next time out. We need to see a more exciting offensive system in place and our players to show confidence and ideas on the pitch.
Fulham are defensively woeful, but have technically able players who can keep the ball and talents like Schurrle and Mitrovic up top.
Following the draw with Arsenal, it’s 100% a must-win fixture.