Jurgen Klopp says ‘everything’ must change from Liverpool’s last visit to Brighton as the teams meet in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend.
Liverpool were thrashed 3-0 at Brighton earlier this month in a performance Klopp called the worst of his managerial career, with the Reds dominated during a disastrous display at the Amex Stadium.
The two teams face off once again in the FA Cup this weekend and Klopp admits his side must make huge improvements from their last trip to the South Coast.
Asked at his pre-match press conference what needs to change from the last Brighton game, Klopp said: “Everything. That’s the plan obviously.
“We knew before the Wolves game, it was Brighton [in the next round] and we showed we really wanted to go through. That’s football. There is always a new chance, and you can always do better. That’s what we will do. But Brighton is a really good moment, so it’s all about that [performing better].”
Klopp was asked whether his side would revisit the defeat at Brighton ahead of this weekend’s fixture and said his squad are ‘clear’ on the improvements that are required.
“Not on a daily basis but, of course, we had intense talks after the Brighton game,” he said.
“We had to change immediately, and we did. A couple of days later we played against Wolves and it obviously looked completely different. After the game, I said it looked like two different sports. Now, we will not do the meeting where we show all the bad situations from Brighton, or it will be a proper horror show. We saw that already – we played it and saw it.
🗣 "What will you do differently?"
Klopp 🗣 "Everything."
Jurgen Klopp still haunted by the last result against Brighton 😅 pic.twitter.com/96jaJfCdpr
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 27, 2023
“If there is anything good about it, it was that it was that bad everybody was clear, it was not about here and there [things need to change], it’s about general change and improvement of different things.
“You can lose a game, but if you don’t learn from it, it’s just a defeat. If you learn from it, then that’s important as well. We intend to do things like that.”
Liverpool were dominated in midfield against the Seagulls last time out, with the Reds struggling to cope with Brighton’s engine room.
Klopp has since changed his team with Stefan Bajcetic and Naby Keita brought in for recent games against Wolves and Chelsea, but insisted his side’s front line is equally as important to the midfield in defending against the Seagulls.
“Yeah, it is. But against Brighton especially it’s massively important how you defend the first line.
“So, they are that good. [Moises] Caicedo and [Alexis] Mac Allister and then the two centre halves [are] calm… the goalie – really calm. So, they just pass the ball through.
“If the front three is not defending well, and that was our problem, for example, at Brighton – that’s how it started. The midfield wanted [to press] but were never close enough.
“If you defend Brighton with seven… theoretically, if you defend Brighton with seven players, no chance. That’s the situation. It’s not about the midfield, they are good there, that’s why we have to be good there. Yes, that’s one part, it’s really about how we defend in general.”
