Jurgen Klopp has told Liverpool fans they need to be “ready for little steps” after his team’s goalless draw against Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
Klopp’s 1,000th game as a manager was perhaps his least memorable. Chelsea thought they had opened the scoring at Anfield when Kai Havertz found the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside by VAR. After that, both sides were wasteful in possession.
Mykhaylo Mudryk came on during the second half to make his debut and did not disappoint. He showcased his quick feet and rapid pace to leave Chelsea fans excited. Klopp will not be looking forward to facing the Ukrainian at Stamford Bridge later this term.
Saturday afternoon’s result does little for either team. Liverpool have moved up one place to eighth, while Chelsea remain in 10th. Both teams have got 29 points to their name and are nine behind Newcastle, who play Crystal Palace on Saturday evening, in fourth.
Speaking to BT Sport after the game, Klopp admitted his side are far from their best. He said: “We started well first half and second half; we had good spells but couldn’t keep it up. We have to be ready for little steps and this is a little step.
“A clean sheet against Chelsea, we didn’t create a lot of chances and they had some as well. We defended in the second half with passion and clear organisation, but we were too deep in these moments. In the end, I’m okay with 0-0 because you have to accept these steps. We can build on that. Both teams were very aggressive.”
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Klopp’s comments suggest Liverpool will struggle to finish in the top four this term. The Reds are hampered by injuries – as the likes of Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and Virgil van Dijk are unavailable – and they have a number of youngsters making their way into the team.
Former Liverpool winger Joe Cole has urged fans to be patient. He told BT Sport: “I wouldn’t say [Liverpool are] coming to an end [under Klopp]. We talked about being patient in bringing players through the door, and it does need freshening up.
“The injuries, similar to Chelsea there are massive injuries and it does strain the squad. They’ll be looking around in January to add a few more young players, and you’ve also got to wait for young players like Harvey Elliott and Fabio Carvalho, they’re going to be getting better and better as the years go by.
“Obviously [James] Milner’s getting on, [Jordan] Henderson’s on the other side of 30 – so the team will need freshening up. But there is still a lot of quality in that team and they will get better.”
Rio Ferdinand added: “What they’ve been doing more recently is signing players that you can wait for, the younger players that aren’t going to be in the first 11.
“At the moment this team is crying out for players that play immediately and hit the ground running, with a bit of experience. Maybe they need to change the way they recruit to bring in players that really impact the first 11 now.”
