Jurgen Klopp said a “delicate” field in rain-soaked Amsterdam had left them “exhausted” in Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Ajax.
The Reds began their Champions League crusade with 3 numbers and a blank sheet in their first game since Virgil van Dijk ruled over a long-running injury, with an impromptu duo of Fabinho and Joe Gomez as a side and the unfortunate purpose opposed. to the look of Nicolas Tagliafico giving visitors 3 numbers in Holland.
Liverpool discovered complicated life at times, with Fabinho having to erase Dusan Tadic’s effort in the first half and Davy Klaassen hitting the pole from 20 yards with less than two minutes to the end.
Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana tried only once before a wave of extra time opportunities as hosts pursued an overdue draw, which Klopp felt due to situations in the Dutch capital.
“We were smart enough to win the game, that’s what you need,” he told BT Sport. “I think any of the groups can play better football, it was pretty wild at times. I think the field was hard, deep, a little muddy, both groups seemed exhausted quite early.
“Three days ago it was absolutely different, in education too, but also for Ajax. They’re where we are, at the beginning of the season, that can’t be the reason. “
“You have to score a goal, we did, we didn’t take our chances, which is a shame, they had a great purpose with the pole right after the break. When you’re 1-0 in these, things can happen, but I’m smart with the game because it wasn’t our sunny world-class football day, however, in a tournament like the Champions League, you want the result and they gave it to us.
“It’s a smart example of how the boys played; it wasn’t the best, but they fought like crazy, in this scenario it helped a lot, but other than that, I liked new legs when we incorporated them. Branch told me Henderson couldn’t play the 90 minutes, okay, he was forty-five and he did very well. “
Another tactical move to update Liverpool’s first three regulars, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, with Takumi Minamino, Xherdan Shaqiri and Diogo Jota with an hour’s play, which Klopp felt would revitalize his team for the last third of the match.
“Managing the game is one thing, the strength of the other 3 is another,” he said. “You saw that they were cooler, the hardest workers, it’s a shame diogo didn’t score, Shaq was animated and Taki is a machine, defends and then offensively is really involved.
“If we can make five adjustments in the middle of the week, we’ll probably have to do it most of the time. “
A man role of Fabinho’s match in Van Dijk’s absence provided encouragement over how Liverpool could cope without their defensive talisman, and Klopp insisted that he would not have paired the Brazilian with Gomez had he not. ease, contented himself with playing central.
The 26-year-old, who joined Liverpool from Monaco in 2018, has played five matches for the club in centre defence, four of which have resulted in blank leaves for his team.
Klopp said at his post-match press conference: “Fabinho can play in this position, he likes to play. If I had asked him to play as a right-back, I don’t think he would have appreciated it so much, even in our current scenario we have to stay those guys have compatibility and they can help us a lot.
“Fabinho, I’m not surprised he played well there or we’d have any idea of another solution, even if it would have been very complicated. I am satisfied tonight, satisfied by him, gave him confidence and helped us. .
“All right, but even he can play better! This mix with Joe and Fabinho, I don’t think they’ve been played in mix before, maybe once.
“They have to get used to each other, the verbal demands in this position, what you have to say to help the midfielders, so it’s a smart performance, but there’s a lot to improve, which is smart. The last line in both” One and Both Moments?Repressions, how do we react there, and surely it’s smart for tonight?
Peter Smith of Sky Sports:
Liverpool were not at their most productive time and were perhaps lucky that Ajax were also below their highest level. Davy Klaassen broke a pole with a player just after halftime, but despite past ownership and host territory while seeking a tie, Liverpool’s defence, with Fabinho at the centre, had to keep company without facing many dramas.
With the final whistle, Fabinho ended the moment in tackles, clearings and interceptions between his Liverpool teammates and may simply load some other central defense functionality into his resume.
The latter came just a few weeks ago against Chelsea in the Premier League, but this time Fabinho was played for van Dijk’s safety.