"We will show a reaction, I can promise" - Jurgen Klopp sends message to Liverpool supporters after shock 3-0 loss to Atalanta
Jurgen Klopp is confident that Liverpool will bounce back after their 3-0 home loss to Atalanta in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday. The Italians dominated the game and will now need to protect their lead to secure their ticket to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Klopp was disappointed with his team's performance but believes his players will do their best to turn things around, even though they have a difficult challenge ahead of them.
"We have to show a reaction. 100%, that is clear. I can promise that. I will think about it, it is not the first time in my life that I lost a football game unfortunately. But yes, we will show a reaction, I can promise," Jurgen Klopp said afterwards, via Fabrizio Romano.
The second leg will be played next Thursday, April 18 in Bergamo. The winner of this tie will take on either Benfica or Marseille in the semi-finals.
Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool 'deserved' to lose against Atalanta
The 3-0 defeat at Anfield has put Liverpool on the brink of elimination from the UEFA Europa League. In his post-match comments, Jurgen Klopp said that his team "deserved" to lose as they played poor football at both ends.
"We played a bad game, we deserved to lose and we must feel that now. But the boys have exactly this night to feel bad about and then we have to build up again for the Crystal Palace game. That’s how it is. Congratulations to Atalanta, really well done," Klopp said, via The Guardian.
Klopp called his team's performance a "low point" for a long time and expects his players to improve their game heading into Thursday's second leg. The Reds will need to score at least three times in the second leg to have a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
"Now is not the moment for having a big mouth and telling them [Atalanta] what we will do there. This was a low point for us performance-wise tonight, I would say, for a long time. It should be possible to play a little bit better [in the second leg]," he added.
If Liverpool fail to reach the semi-finals, this was the last European game for the Reds at Anfield under Klopp, as the German coach will step down at the end of the season.