Jurgen Klopp criticized their play when Atletico Madrid last played Liverpool, but the German has since explained his remarks. The Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp is not a fan of Atletico Madrid’s style of play, but he has nothing but affection for Diego Simeone, the “results machine.”
Klopp questioned the Spanish football club‘s defensive tactics after Atletico Madrid knocked Liverpool out of the Champions League in the last-16 stage of the 2019-20 season. Speaking after his side’s 3-2 defeat, seeing them crash out 4-2 on aggregate, Klopp said he “does not understand with the quality they have why they play this type of football”. The two teams meet on Tuesday at Wanda Metropolitano and again two weeks later at Anfield in a pair of important Group B games.
“I was angry and disappointed about a lot of things when I said what I said after the last game,” Klopp said at Monday’s pre-match news conference. “We played against a team full of world-class players and they defended with all they have. That’s probably the reason I said those things.”
“I couldn’t respect more what they do. Do I like it? Not a lot, but that’s me. I like a different style of football. But it just has to be successful and Atletico has been that, for sure. Simeone is the current Spanish champion. He’s been there for a long time and has been very successful.”
“They play a different system now but they are still the results machine they were before. How Simeone keeps them on their toes with the fight they show I don’t know. They did well with their signings and have a proper team that looks like possible champions again this year in LaLiga. That’s incredible. So yeah, what I said before was definitely influenced by my mood on that specific day.”
To stay one point behind Premier League leaders Chelsea, Liverpool thrashed Watford 5-0 over the weekend. This season, the Reds have scored at least three goals in each of their eight away games, including a 5-1 victory over Porto in their most recent European meeting.
