Jurgen Klopp was left lost for words after Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat at Wolves on Saturday, ruing a “horrible start” and admitting “it needs to change.”
Klopp made two alterations to his side for the trip to Molineux in the Premier League; one enforced, as Joel Matip came in, the other tactical, as Darwin Nunez started.
It mattered little as, a week on from defeat to Brighton in the FA Cup and three weeks after a 3-0 loss to the same side that the manager described as the “worst game” he had ever been involved in, the Reds were undone again.
And spectacularly so, with a Matip own goal followed up by Craig Dawson’s debut effort in the opening 12 minutes, before Ruben Neves’ late sucker-punch.
“Obviously it was a horrible start,” Klopp told Premier League Productions, as relayed by BBC Sport.
“Two goals which cannot happen like that. But it happened and we were 2-0 down because of our own fault.
“We should have defended better. We were passive in that period. I cannot explain it. There is no excuse for it.
“You’re 2-0 down, the crowd is there but it opens up and we get some control. Then for about 45 minutes we play a good away game without scoring. That sums it up pretty much.
“Concentration for the first 15 minutes. Again, I cannot explain. But these 15 minutes cannot be allowed.
“It needs to change. That’s the thing. I stand here again and for the first 15 minutes I have no explanation, I’m sorry.
“In the end we lost 3-0 because the goal in the second half was perhaps the first time they crossed the halfway line.
“But it’s right because when you start like this you don’t deserve anything in a Premier League game.”
Klopp has often lamented a supposed lack of time of the training pitch during Liverpool’s miserable run of form, but they have now played only four times in the last 18 days.
There is now over a week until the Merseyside derby at Anfield, and the manager is targeting swift improvement, well aware of the challenge facing him and his staff.
“We have to change it immediately in the next game,” he continued.
“Everton won today and they are in a good moment so we have to prove a point again.
“For the moment, I’m so disappointed and angry about the first 15 minutes, I can’t find the words for it.
“Then we have chances we should score. It could have been 2-1 and that would have changed everything I’m sure.
“Wolves deserve the three points. Yes, definitely. That’s clear.
“We cannot go through that season that nobody did before but how long do we want to suffer? It is one explanation in general yes, but not for the first 15 minutes here today.
“What we make of it in this moment is absolutely not OK.”
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