Klopp Hails “Perfect Afternoon” In Spite of Bad Weather

While many saw Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Burnley in rainy, windy conditions today as an ugly game of football, manager Jürgen Klopp had a much different view as his side picked up three points.

“Perfect, perfect afternoon,” Klopp told Sky Sports with a wry smile in his post-match interview.

“Really windy, man’s football, so we were ready for it. We scored the goal from the set-piece, which was a brilliant goal, to be honest, a counter-pressing goal if you want. Love it.”

It was far the attacking masterclass this Liverpool side is known for thanks to the weather and the Burnley playstyle. In fact, it was the type of game that seemed like one slip could tilt it in favor of the home side, but Liverpool were able to adjust to the poor conditions, find a breakthrough, and then see out the victory.

“Everything here today was set up for a banana skin if you want, for us. They didn’t have to do a lot if we are 100% honest. Each ball in the air, so tricky to defend because the wind came all directions so we really played the circumstances instead of suffering from it. So I’m really happy about it.”

It was also another match in which the late offside flag made Liverpool look much more under threat than they truly were. Burnley were caught offside seven times, but per the VAR guidelines, they were allowed to finish the move before the flag was raised. So, while announcers around the world waxed poetic about Burnley’s numerous chances and Liverpool’s inability to stop balls over the top, the Reds were really threatened much more infrequently than it appeared.

Though Klopp was fortunate to not have to listen to such commentary, he is still no stranger to the idea that Liverpool’s well-executed offside trap results in many wondering why the Reds give up so many “chances” to their opponents. He had to address this idea when questioned about Burnley’s chances and the quality of their play by the interviewer.

“I think most of their chances were offside. Because a whistle can be late, but I’m not sure if you count them, but there were a lot of situations where that’s pretty much brilliant defending when they’re offside. But, of course, they had their moments, that’s clear. Because they have quality, but we dealt with it pretty well.”

Burnley may be sitting at the bottom of the league table, but that doesn’t mean they’re an easy side to play against. They play a very physical game and they can be tough to break down. Klopp knew it would be a fight and his players would need to be prepared to get their hands dirty to go home with a win, which is exactly what they did.

“I told the boys if you come here to play a little bit of football, it’d be better to stay in the hotel,” quipped Klopp. “So we have really to work incredibly hard and that’s what the boys did. So not that we are not able to make our shirts dirty if you want. No, it was the opposite.

“I’m really happy about it because I know how difficult it is to come here, especially today. And what the boys did with it I’m absolutely satisfied.”