Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League last night at the Bernabeu, losing the second leg of their two-legged tie against Real Madrid 1-0, losing 6-2 on aggregate over the two legs.
Liverpool showed encouraging signs in attack but were again caught out defensively on several occasions and we’re lucky to lose the game by just one goal.
With Liverpool’s last chance at silverware this season now gone, Jurgen Klopp sent a clear message to his team after the defeat and outlined the team’s priority for the rest of the season.
“Absolutely it’s the message to get in the top four,” said the German. “With the history we have in this competition we usually start with the idea of winning it, and we have reached the final three times in the last few years.
“I really believe if you want to win the competition you have to be outstanding, and we weren’t outstanding so it’s right that we went out.
“But it’s THE competition, and of course we want to be part of, and be part of it every year – so that is the massive task for us now. And we all know that, so our job is to squeeze everything out of the rest of the season as possible.”
Liverpool are currently 6th in the Premier League and are 6 points off 4th place. The task is difficult but certainly doable.
Klopp highlighted the importance of the next few Premier League fixtures.
“When we come back from the international break we have a proper football week, with Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, and will then define what we get out of it (the season).
“People may say we lost (the chance of the top four) at Bournemouth, but this week will be a decisive one. It is clear we want to be in the top four, but it is on the pitch we have to show it now.”
