Julen Lopetegui’s honest Liverpool admission comes at ideal time ahead of Man Utd visit
Julen Lopetegui had to acknowledge that Liverpool earned their victory as his Wolves team visited Anfield and suffered a 2-0 defeat.
Although Liverpool’s performance may not have been exceptional throughout the game, their ability to execute an intense pressing strategy, which the Spaniard described as “aggressive”, proved fruitful in the end.
“Maybe we could have disrupted their rhythm. We weren’t able to do much damage in the space. We put Adama [Traore] on but didn’t find the moment, they were aggressive on the press,” the 56-year-old told Premier League Productions (via BBC Sport).
“In the first half we overcome some moments on this press, in the second half no.
“When you have this type of match, you have to keep the ball and be calm. In the first half we did this, we matched them, but in the second we did not have these chances.”
Mo Salah hit a significant achievement by scoring his 20th goal of the season for the sixth year running, but it wouldn’t be fair to solely focus on him. The midfield also performed impressively, but it was the defense that deserves praise for the win.
Kostas Tsimikas, in particular, stood out as he replaced a struggling Andy Robertson at left-back, demonstrating excellent defensive skills that kept the scoreline even. In the second half, he also took risks with some exciting runs down the wing.
As Manchester United prepares to play against Reds this weekend, Liverpool must show the same level of intensity or even better to establish our dominance on the field and make it challenging for the Carabao Cup champions.
It won’t be easy since Manchester United is performing well under Erik ten Hag, but a win would be a significant turning point in Klopp’sb ongoing quest for a top-four finish.
Julen Lopetegui’s honest Liverpool admission comes at ideal time ahead of Man Utd visit
