Jurgen Klopp has stressed that the call to bring players into Liverpool in January is “not his decision,” as he set his sights on restoring a “decisive 10 percent” to his side.
The Reds’ miserable stretch of form came to a head on Thursday night with a first Premier League defeat at Anfield since April 2017, losing 1-0 to Burnley.
It was a result and performance symptomatic of Liverpool’s recent malaise, with Klopp’s side dominant throughout but unable to find a cutting edge against a deep-sitting side, who themselves ultimately pounced.
A bitter blow to the Reds, it leaves the hope of a title defence looking increasingly slim, with a battle for a top-four finish instead projected in the second half of the season.
The winter transfer window stays open until February 1, however, which presents the opportunity for Klopp to add to his squad and give them a much-needed boost.
That seems unlikely, though, with the manager telling reporters in his post-match press conference that the decision is out of his hands, and he instead will focus on restoring the confidence of his existing players.
“These decisions are not my decisions. If somebody thinks we should do something [they will decide],” he said.
“I cannot decide if we do something in the transfer window or not, that must be clear. But that’s not something I’m thinking about.
“It’s just we can, with this group, play much better football – that’s my concern, that’s what I’m thinking about.
“Their confidence is not on the highest level, I think that’s so obvious I don’t have to mention it. You can see it in specific moments.
“It’s like 90 percent of all the boys did all the time is still there, but the decisive 10 percent is missing in the moment.
“So now we have to work on this decisive 10 percent. That’s how it is. We always work on it, but now we dig a little bit deeper to get it back.”
Fan Comments