Juergen Klopp insisted the best of Liverpool’s season is yet come, despite a third defeat in four games saw them crash out of the FA Cup after losing 0-2 at the hands of Chelsea.
Klopp made seven changes to the side beaten for the first time in 45 Premier League games at Watford on Saturday, but still named a far stronger XI than the youthful teams that had seen off Everton and Shrewsbury to reach the fifth round.
However, goals from Willian and Ross Barkley gave Frank Lampard’s men a much-needed lift at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
“Losing 2-0 is not good, but it is relatively easy to explain. We made two massive mistakes around the goals,” said Klopp.
Liverpool remain well on course for a first league title in 30 years with a 22-point lead at the top of the Premier League, but run the risk of their competitive campaign coming to an early end once the title is sewn up unless they can overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League next week.
“It is not the best three weeks of the whole season but it is a chance to make it the best three weeks now and that is the plan,” added Klopp. “Nobody needs to feel sorry for us, we will win football games and that is what we want to do on Saturday.”
There are some problems Klopp needs to fix if Liverpool want to advance to the quarter-final stage of the Champions League.
Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk has not been good over the last two games. After the Watford defeat, former Liverpool player Stephen Warnock suggested the absence of Joe Gomez was the issue. However, Gomez returned on Tuesday but Van Dijk looked no better.
Jordan Henderson’s absence has highlighted how important a player he has become. Anyone who has tried to replace Henderson has really struggled.Whatever is going on with Liverpool's midfield, it is clearly not working with the current set-up.
This is probably the issue Klopp has to fix the most before Wednesday’s game.
A run of five wins in 16 league games and a 3-0 thrashing at home by Bayern Munich in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie last week meant the pressure was on Chelsea to keep their hopes of silverware this season alive.
“We are not the Chelsea of different eras gone by with (Eden) Hazard and (Diego) Costa, (John) Terry and (Didier) Drogba, we’ve got younger players but we are trying to bridge the gap upwards,” said Lampard.
“I can’t ask for any more in the spirit, work ethic and quality. You have got to defend very well to keep a clean sheet against them.”
On Tuesday, Newcastle and Sheffield United also booked their place in the quarter-finals.
