It may have felt like there were few positives to take from Liverpool’s 0-0 draw against Man United, but Jurgen Klopp was adamant that he saw “the best” of his side in two difference facets.
The statistics weighed heavily in favour of the Reds at Anfield but, at the end of the day, the scoreboard is the final story and points were shared.
It didn’t look like it was going to pan out that way at the start with Liverpool quick to press United and win one corner after the other – meanwhile, the visitors managed just one touch in the opposition box in the first half.
Klopp’s men starved them of the ball and it was the insatiable counter-pressing that most pleased the manager, he proclaimed it as the “best” he’s seen from Liverpool 2.0 so far.
“We should have won this game, but we didn’t. That’s a fact,” Klopp told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“I’m not sure you can create more finishes in a game against Man United, but if you have that number, a few more should be on target.
“There was a lot of things I really liked. From a counter-pressing point of the view, that was the best game we play with this group, definitely.
“It was the intensity we wanted to have, the start into the game was probably the best we had so far. All that’s good, and we can take that.”
But there is a lesson to be learned from the Reds’ dominance as it failed to be reflected where it matters most, despite having an incredible 34 shots on goal.
The win over Fulham hinted at an ability to convert from distance but the team took it a step too far on this occasion, with the lesson clear for Klopp after a result that “hurts.”
“You have to learn a lot of things during the season and this today hurts, that’s good, but it gives us a lot of good information as well,” the manager explained.
“There were moments where we looked like we were in a rush, instead of doing the right things again and again, we played a few long balls too much.
“If these boys would everyday play at 100 percent of their potential, that would be crazy, wow. Attitude today was top, top, top.”
More composure where it matters and it could have been very different for Liverpool. All that can be done now is to learn that lesson and apply it, West Ham on Wednesday night would be a good place to start.
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