Jurgen Klopp praises Liverpool’s fighting spirit after win over Bournemouth
According to the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has touched upon his side’s fighting spirit as the Reds came from behind to win 2-1 vs Bournemouth.
The German also praised the supporters for their role off the pitch as the Reds put an end to a losing streak that had looked to derail the club’s momentum.
The duo of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were the heroes as they combined to cancel out Callum Wilson’s ninth-minute strike before Mane proceeded to give the Reds the lead.
The victory leaves Liverpool needing just nine more points to secure their first league title in 30 years. Curiously enough, Manchester City play two more times before Liverpool kick a ball in the league. The Reds could be crowned champions at Goodison Park if Pep Guardiola somehow lose both the games.
Speaking to the press after the match, Klopp insinuated that one tends to enjoy victories after tasting the despair of defeat. In spite of his side’s sizeable lead, he insists that Liverpool are not getting carried away.
Failing is fine, Flailing isn’t
He admitted that there are no secrets on how to go about it and credited his team for working hard. Klopp praised his players’ ability off the ball as Liverpool were willing to get stuck in and battled hard against the Cherries.
“We want to be as successful as is possible for us. Nobody knows where that will end up.”
He remonstrated on the belief that it is not always possible for the team to play the best football. That, however, should never be an excuse for the players to go down without a fight.
The German spoke on how the team needed to work on certain things after the recent setbacks and illustrated Mane’s goal as a perfect example of it. Liverpool won the ball in the middle of the park before Virgil van Dijk carved open the Bournemouth defence to put Mane through on the counter.
“Now we can play the counter-attack and not the opponent. That was a massive difference.”
Home sweet home
Klopp also heaped the praise on the crowd, remarking that it has been the best atmosphere he has seen in the stadium for an early kickoff during his tenure. He also touched upon the upcoming crunch clash against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid.
“Now we have four days to prepare for another difficult game in a wonderful stadium with a sensational crowd.”
More Liverpool News
- Liverpool vs Bournemouth: Team News, Predicted line-ups, History and more
- Sadio Mane calls on Liverpool to be ‘great champions’
- Jurgen Klopp endears himself to rival fans with coronavirus response
Liverpool return to action in midweek against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second-leg at Anfield. The Reds will be keen to overturn the 1-0 deficit and go on to retain the title we won last season.
