Jurgen Klopp was keen to praise the solidity of his team’s performance in the 2-0 Champions League win over Napoli at Anfield.
After two poor defeats in the league to Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, and losing 4-1 to Napoli in the reverse fixture in September, there were some concerns about facing the Italian side again.
However, The Reds pulled off something of a surprise victory against the in-form Serie A side, finishing second behind them in group A to reach the knockout stage of the competition.
Late goals from Mo Salah and substitute Darwin Nunez handed Liverpool the win but it was Ibrahima Konate’s return to the team that proved a huge boost as Klopp’s defence looked far more solid than in recent weeks.
The German said: “We were compact so it was never easy for Napoli to play out.
“We did really well, we kept the spaces small and we were winning challenges. There were a lot of good counter-pressing moments.”
Klopp was keen to reiterate his point regarding the defensive capabilities of his team, explaining how the improvement in this area helped them beat Napoli.
He said: “We don’t show consistency. That’s why I mentioned the second goal against Leeds as an example of our situation. It’s a situation where you have to defend with all you have, but we are chasing the game even when it’s around our 18-yard box.
“That’s why we have to take a proper step back, and tonight we did that. When we defend (we have to) defend with all we have. Tonight we were really compact, really close to the challenges and in the challenges we showed the determination we have to show.
“Consistency and stability are what we need and tonight we will take the right conclusions out of this game, even when the next one will be a completely different game for different reasons.”
That next game is against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, where another rigid defensive performance will be needed to quell the attacking threat of the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.
