LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp believes his side’s 3-0 UEFA Europa League defeat to Atalanta was justified while his captain Virgil van Dijk insists the tie is not over.
Gianluca Scamacca and Mario Pasalic struck last night as Atalanta, who had Super Eagles of Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman on the bench, stunned Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie.
“We can make this the shortest press conference of all time; it just was a really bad game,” Klopp told reporters afterwards.
“We started really well and didn’t continue. We lost the plot a little bit, like we were everywhere and nowhere. Midfield was spread. I didn’t recognise that, that was really quite strange. In football terms, that’s tactical discipline.
“We had a big chance from Darwin [Nunez] and were unlucky with Harvey [Elliott]. Then they scored a goal and we kept playing into their hands. We played a bad game, we deserved to lose. Congratulations, Atalanta.
“We must feel bad about that but the boys have exactly this night to feel bad and then we have the Crystal Palace game [on Sunday].”
It was the joint-heaviest defeat Liverpool would suffer in a European tie, but Van Dijk is adamant the English Premier League giants can still turn it around in Bergamo next Thursday.
“If you don’t believe, there’s no point going to Italy,” the Dutch centre-back told TNT Sports.
“We have made it very hard for ourselves going there 3-0 down. But the way to bounce back is by winning the game on the weekend [against Crystal Palace].
“We need everyone to switch it back on. Then we can focus on putting out at least four goals over there.”
