Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool 'anger' after poor first half in win over Swansea

By Gerard Brand

Sunday 2 October 2016 00:03, UK

Jurgen Klopp has praised Liverpool's fight in coming from a goal down to beat Swansea 2-1 on Saturday, but insists he was still angry with their first half performance.

Having gone behind to Leroy Fer's early strike, goals from Roberto Firmino and James Milner handed Klopp's side a fifth straight win in all competitions.

It gives them 16 points out of a possible 21 in the Premier League, and Klopp said his side responded well after the break following a poor first half.

Klopp told Sky Sports: "We are really happy in this moment, the second half was what the whole game should have been.

"We weren't happy with ourselves in the first half, body language was not what it should have been. Too late in mind, all that stuff, but it's like it is.

"Nothing else happened in the first half, we showed a reaction in the second half and that's important.

"You can lose football games, we will lose football games, but we must show minimum part of your usual face, and that's what we showed in the second half, and that's more what we should be.

"You can accept a situation or you can try to fight. We were not brilliant in the second half, much better than the first half, and we gave them much more difficult questions in the second to the first."

Klopp said in his post-match press conference of the first-half performance: "I was very angry. I have lost a lot of football games, but today makes no sense.

"We were not ready and it is my responsibility. It was not good."

Klopp's side failed to muster up any chances in the first half, and were outdone again by a set-piece as Fer converted Borja Baston's header across goal from a corner.

The German seemed unsatisfied when describing his side's build-up play, admitting Liverpool were "static" on the ball.

"Our build-up was static, and we had four players in the higher positions, no orientation and we weren't really awake, it was a lot of long balls, it makes no sense," he said.

"I couldn't see counter-pressing situations, not like the last game. But as I said, these things can happen.

"I think before all games we always expect that we should be close to winning, you can never be sure of it, but you need to show you are close enough to winning it. You need to show every week that you are ready to fight for a result."

Despite the poor first half, Liverpool came away with the points for their fourth straight Premier League win, and though Klopp says he is happy with their tally after seven games, the 49-year-old is less pleased with the upcoming international break.

"We did it in these games, and I'm fine with 16 points before this international break, and all the players go all over the world, I don't like it, but it is like it is.

"But hopefully they come back healthy and we'll go again."

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