Jurgen Klopp has responded to Andy Robertson’s claim that Liverpool are getting worse after losing to Brighton in the FA Cup
Brighton knocked out holders Liverpool in the FA Cup with a last-minute goal from Kaoru Mitoma at the Amex Stadium.
After Lewis Dunk canceled out Harvey Elliott’s opening, the fourth-round contest appeared to be heading to a replay, but Mitoma sent Brighton through in a spectacular manner.
It was yet another disappointing result for Liverpool, who have won just one of their previous six games in all competitions, dropping to ninth in the Premier League.
Klopp’s club challenged for an unprecedented quadruple last season but have struggled this season, with Robertson saying the team has been ‘nowhere near good enough’.
‘It’s terribly disappointing,’ Robertson said following Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to Brighton.
‘We were more competitive than we were two weeks ago, but it didn’t take much. We produced more chances and were more compact, but in the end, we were eliminated from the cup.
‘At a team like Liverpool, fans have high expectations, and losing with the last kick of the ball is disappointing. We must begin winning games. It’s simple to say, but difficult to repair.
‘This season has been far from adequate. We wanted a fresh start at the beginning of the year, but that hasn’t happened. We’ve done worse. We haven’t been good enough in the league, and we’re now out of both cups.
‘You can’t pin it down to one thing; it’s more than that. We’re not as confident in front of goal, and we’re a little more open in defense. We had two clean sheets coming into today, only to give up two goals.
‘We need to regain confidence; it’s easier said than done, but that’s how we’ll get results.
‘We need to accomplish it quickly, but we aren’t. That doesn’t help the fans, and I’m sorry for how we’re putting on a show. We’ve let them down yet again.’
Klopp assessed Liverpool’s performance in their 3-0 Premier League defeat to Brighton earlier this month as ‘one of the worst he could remember’.
🗣 "This season has been nowhere near good enough. At the turn of the year we wanted a new start but it's definitely not got off to that. We've probably been worse." – Andrew Robertson@LFC | @EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/dF0avI4tEf
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) January 29, 2023
The 55-year-old acknowledged his team had “excellent moments” this time around, but admits Robertson was partially correct in his assessment.
Asked about Robertson’s comments, Klopp said: ‘It’s not 100 per cent true but it’s not 100 per cent false.
‘Of course, we wanted a fresh start after the World Cup. True, it hasn’t happened correctly so far.
‘That implies we have to keep working because there is nothing else you can do. There were also nice performances today, good moments on which to develop.’
‘We came here after a game a few weeks ago when we weren’t even near to ourselves,’ Klopp added.
‘We played a better game today, but we conceded two goals from set-pieces, which is not acceptable in any way.
‘It’s not a good feeling. We may see the benefits in time, but we needed to advance to the next round. Brighton, congratulations.’
Liverpool, who are 10 points adrift of the Champions League places, will try to get back on track against Wolves on Saturday.
Brighton, who will learn their FA Cup fifth round opponent on Monday evening, will play Bournemouth next in their quest for European football.
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