After their next two games, Liverpool will not play again for another three weeks, and Jurgen Klopp is looking to use that time together on the training ground for a “reset.”
The Reds slumped to yet another Anfield defeat on Sunday as Fulham emerged 1-0 victors, which leaves Klopp’s side in danger of dropping to ninth in the Premier League.
Next up is a trip to Budapest for the home leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig, before an away clash with Wolves in the league.
Between the visit to Molineux and then the Emirates to take on Arsenal on April 3, Liverpool have a full 18 days without a game, due to the final international break of the season.
Travel restrictions mean fewer of Klopp’s players will be on duty – with Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino already spared a call-up for Brazil – and that will allow rest and more time to find solutions at Kirkby.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the manager admitted that his side “have to reset in the break,” and he elaborated on this in his interview with LFCTV.
“A few players will go to internationals, a few will not go. So we will use that time to train and then we can change it, because we have to change it,” he explained.
“I don’t know if that’s what we need, but we need something.
“Being together and being on the training ground and working on the things always helped us, and will help us this time.
“But of course, today is not about talking about solutions or whatever. We are human beings, I am a human being, we need a little bit of time to deal with the things. It’s a tough one to take today.”
Klopp made seven changes to his side for the visit of Fulham, of which he argued five were enforced, and there was a clear lack of fluency from the start as the likes of Neco Williams and Rhys Williams came in.
It was one of the four players to keep their place, Mohamed Salah, who was culpable for Mario Lemina’s winner, however, with Liverpool’s defeat symptomatic of a lack of fight and belief throughout the squad at present.
“We never had momentum in this season really, in the Premier League at least,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“And you can see that. It’s still in the boys, they have it all, but in the moment they can’t show it.
“It would be a masterpiece to find out how we change that overnight.
“The only good thing is we play a different competition in three days. Hopefully, we can show there a different face.”
The manager is right to acknowledge that the Champions League can provide a reprieve for Liverpool, but the timing of the international break is also important.
Make steps towards improving over the next two games – while securing progress to the quarter-finals – and they can then look to almost three weeks at Kirkby to work towards turning their fortunes around.
