Jurgen Klopp couldn’t hide his frustration at one moment during Liverpool’s dismal defeat to Atalanta at Anfield.
Liverpool were deservedly beaten at home by the 6th placed Serie A side who punished individual errors and defended fantastically.
Klopp’s side had no idea how to counter Gian Piero Gasperini’s man-marking system and showed a lack of ruthlessness in the final third.
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The German manager made three substitutions at half-time but it had little to no impact meaning he might have managed his final European match at Anfield unless Liverpool can pull off another miracle in Bergamo next Thursday.
The 56-year-old branded his Liverpool side ‘unrecognisable’ after the defeat and cut a dejected figure on the touchline as the Atalanta bench celebrated a historic victory on Merseyside.
One moment in particular irked the Liverpool boss according to club hero Steve Nicol who noticed Klopp was unable to hide his frustration with one player in the second half.
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Anfield let out a collective sigh when Joe Gomez opted to shoot from 25 yards out after the ball broke from a corner, firing well over the crossbar to leave Klopp fuming.
“Listen, there’s a reason Joe’s never scored a goal for Liverpool,” Nicol told ESPN. “So, when you know that and you know it’s not your forte, get the ball and give it to somebody who’s forte it is to either create or have a strike at goal. That was what frustrated me. And we saw during the game that it frustrated Jurgen Klopp as well.
“Ball coming out from a corner, is the strike on? Yes, the strike is on but you know what, when you’re 0 for a thousand, you’re probably better giving it to someone else.”
Gomez has failed to score a single goal in his entire career and has now clocked up 255 appearances without finding the back of the net.
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Earlier in the season Klopp pleaded with Liverpool supporters to stop encouraging the defender to shoot.
He said: “Can I ask that people not, as funny as it is, ‘shooot’, leave the boy alone.
“One day he will shoot, let him find the moment himself. One more time he shoots from 40 yards, just because people are calling for that, then I will get really a bit angry.”
Liverpool face Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday before travelling to Italy hoping for a miracle next Thursday.
Topics: Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp, Atalanta, Anfield, Joe Gomez, Europa League
Marcus Banks