Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp dismisses 'bulls***' claims of midfield problems

Jürgen Klopp launched an impassioned defence of his under-fire Liverpool midfield on Friday, as questions over his side’s lack of attacking fluency this season persist.

Liverpool will look to maintain their best-ever start to a Premier League season at Anfield on Sunday against Marco Silva’s Everton in the 232nd Merseyside derby.

Yet despite being just two points behind pace-setters Manchester City and solving long-standing defensive issues, Klopp has regularly faced questions regarding a perceived absence of attacking spark.

Liverpool have rarely played with the vibrancy and fluency they showed when at their best last term, while Klopp’s midfield has been particularly criticised for failing to link play with the forward line.

Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Georginio Wijnaldum all came under scrutiny after Wednesday’s 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, a result which put progression to the Champions League knock-out stages in jeopardy.

Klopp admitted on Friday that Liverpool’s improvement at the back has had inevitable consequences at the other end of the pitch, but forcefully dismissed the suggestion that his midfielders are to blame.

“We’ve conceded five goals and you talk about our midfield is ‘over-run’? Sorry, I didn’t see that,” he said. “We could’ve score more goals but no I don’t see any problems in midfield.

“To be honest, for me it is quite strange,” Klopp added. “When everything is brilliant and we score goals you always ask about defending and how we can fix that. We fixed that, kind of, and it always happens that the first step is it costs you a bit of fluency and creativity.

“That is a completely normal thing. If someone would think about it they would see it is clear, it is logical. Now, when we fix that, I can’t say in the first moment to the boys: ‘But that’s not enough offensively’. That would be crazy. We still have to develop, that’s what we do.”

Liverpool are missing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, sidelined since April with a serious knee injury, yet supporters have recently clamoured for Naby Keita and Fabinho to be handed extended spells in Klopp’s side.

The pair, signed for a combined £90million this summer, are yet to fully establish themselves at Anfield as they adapt to English football and Klopp’s particular style, but the Liverpool manager denied that changing personnel in midfield was the answer.

“Bringing one player in would change everything? That is bulls*** and you know that,” he said. “We have the players for it. We have to win football games. Really, with all the things I saw in this country football-wise, if people cannot enjoy our football then I can’t help them.

“There were a few games last season – a few, not the whole season – when we were really flying and the opponent collapsed like Watford here, then we had the big games like Roma and Man City, where were these games in the league?

“We had this. But I get constantly confronted with the question: ‘Something is missing…’ Of course it could be better, but it is not because of one player.”

Referencing the defeat in Paris itself, Klopp added: “It was not a brilliant game but it was a big fight and we lost it 2-1. And after that you ask me about being creative in midfield? Oxlade-Chamberlain would have changed that game?

“I love this boy to bits but would he have changed this game? I don’t know. We could have changed the game had we started differently. Then 2-0 wouldn’t have happened and the pressure on them would have been even bigger.

“That was the problem of the game, not being creative or whatever.”