Jurgen Klopp criticized his Liverpool side for a “lack of concentration” in their defeat to German powerhouse Bayern Munich.
The Reds looked like they were set to round off their pre-season tour of Singapore in the most impressive way as they roared into a 2-0 lead. Goals from Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk put them in control against the German champions.
However, they relinquished that lead before the break as Serge Gnabry and Leroy Sane both found the net. Liverpool edged ahead through Luis Diaz, but late goals from Josip Stanisic and Frans Kratzig saw them lose.
Klopp spoke out about his side’s performance following the game and was not particularly pleased with their defensive awareness. The German coach said, “There were many positive things and some things I didn’t like.
“Now we have to analyze. We need to look at what’s physical. We did a lot in training, especially yesterday in tough circumstances. You saw with the goals we conceded that it was mainly down to a lack of concentration.
"They were very similar situations. That’s not allowed, so we need to analyze properly, and I’ll have enough time to do that on the flight home.”
The defeat against Bayern was the latest preseason match in which Liverpool showed defensive vulnerability. They opened pre-season with a 4-2 win against Karlsruher before being held to a 4-4 draw by Greuther Furth.
Despite the defeat at the hands of the Germans, Klopp found a few positives in the game. These included the fact that none of his players had suffered any injuries. He added: “I hate losing. When it happens, I feel it, but it’s pre-season and a strong opponent.
“We’ve had two camps in a row, and this is our last camp. The most significant information is that nobody gets hurt. Really cool.” New Liverpool captain and goalscorer Virgil van Dijk also had a similar assessment after the game from his manager. He said, “So many positive things, so many things to improve on.
“But yeah, obviously an excellent opponent, a very talented opponent, and they punish you if you’re not on it for a split-second, and that’s what happened today. But overall, there were so many enjoyable moments, especially with the ball. I think we showed a lot of improvement, but there is still work to do, and that’s what we are determined to do.”
Liverpool have one final warm-up match against Germain side Darmstadt on Monday at Preston’s Deepdale before getting their campaign up and running against Chelsea
