Liverpool are definitely going to have better European nights.
The less said about the Reds’ 2-0 defeat to Red Star Belgrade in the Champions League the better as Jurgen Klopp’s side’s chances of progressing to the knockout stage of the competition now hang in the balance.
The Serbian side scored twice in the first half to give Klopp plenty to talk about at the break but the Liverpool manager was unable to motivate his players to come back and cause any late drama at the Stadion Rajko Mitic.
In his post-match press conference, Klopp was asked if he could put his finger on what went wrong in Belgrade on Tuesday night and needed just five words to sum up the performance.
“I only have ten fingers,” he responded.
Captain James Milner, who gave the ball away in midfield in the build-up to the hosts’ second goal, was similarly succinct in his analysis of the game.
When asked where it all went wrong for the Reds, Milner answered: “From the first whistle!”
Milner did expand on his take on the match but his four-word summary above pretty much told fans everything they already knew.
“We didn’t start well enough and that showed with them getting the two goals,” Milner added.
“In the second half we were better, we had enough chances to get back into the game and we didn’t take them and you get punished.
“All over the field, we didn’t win the ball back well enough and the passing wasn’t good enough. In all areas, we didn’t start and when you don’t start well in the Champions League you can get punished.
“I thought it was a pretty good reaction in the second half, and had an pretty good chance just after half-time and if that gone on it would have been a bit of a boost.
“We kept fighting to the end playing and kept patient which was a positive but you can’t give teams a start in this competition.”
