Klopp: Lack of Concentration Denies Liverpool a Win Over Arsenal

Liverpool were up a goal until they weren't. Then they were up a goal again until they weren't. Then they were down a goal until they weren't. The up and down nature of the score line reflected the end-to-end nature of an exciting though at times frustrating match as Liverpool hosted Arsenal on Wednesday evening. Manager Jürgen Klopp found many positives in the result, but also found room for criticism.

"If you're going to win and want to win against Arsenal you can not have this lack of concentration," Klopp pointed out. "It was a good football game and the draw can be really good to watch and that was one of these games. Now, it is recovery and again, like this, against Manchester United. I can speak about losing concentration but there are different stories behind losing it. Playing against Arsenal is not too easy."

There's no shame in drawing the current league leaders at home in the middle of a busy fixture list and when Klopp is still working out so many elements of his squad. But some of Liverpool's old familiar foes made their presence felt once more throughout the course of the match, and poor set piece defending once again led to both a goal and further criticism of  Simon Mignolet.

"On the set-play he needs help from all the players," Klopp said, once again backing his man between the posts. "Set-plays, we have to defend it better, that's an easy thing to say. We have to work on it it, we will work on it, we will analyse it.

"We lose the first header, then there is the volley of Giroud. On a perfect day he can make a save but there were a lot of mistakes before. The pass is usually not allowed so we have to defend this before we talk about Simon."

There is lots for Liverpool to be positive about in their performance, but they'll have little time to rest idly with an all important home fixture against Manchester United looming on Sunday. A replay against Exeter City in the FA Cup follows three days later, giving Klopp's men not one but two matches in quick succession where a win is of the utmost importance.