Liverpool boss Klopp denies summer clearout claims

Matt Stead

Jurgen Klopp has cooled speculation that he will overhaul his squad on the back of Liverpool’s Capital One Cup final defeat to Manchester City on Sunday.

Newspaper reports on Tuesday suggested Klopp was preparing for a huge squad clearout this summer with a number of high-profile players facing the axe.

But Klopp insists he won’t make any snap judgements on one match only.

Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League clash against Manchester City at Anfield, Klopp said: “I can’t make a final judgement on a players just because it was a final. I can’t say ‘I can trust him, I can’t trust him.’

“We only lost on penalties. I always learn about my players but not just on Sunday because it was a final.”

Klopp added: “We always learn. After this short time, you cannot be sure. We could have played better in the first half, it was not bad, but it could have been better. Could we play like this from the beginning? If yes, then we ask why. Even though it is a final, I cannot make final judgements. That is not how life or football is.

“When we have to make decisions we have to make it with a lot of information. The final is only one of those. The difference in this game was not too big between winning and losing.

“We have to think about a lot of things (for the summer). We work the whole day. We have to plan for the future.”

Klopp said he saw positives in the performance at Wembley, despite the likes of Jamie Carragher criticising their display.

The German added: “First of all, you have to analyse it. You cannot change the situation but take all the things from it. We can use the final experience, maybe, in another final.

“We saw we are capable of really good things, we had more than 60% possession against a football-playing side – although it was a little bit because of the result. We created a few chances, not enough with the possession, but a few.”