Liverpool, Klopp warned they could live to regret Man City horrorshow

Mohamed Salah, Jurgen Klopp Liverpool TEAMtalk

John Aldridge believes that Liverpool will live to regret their performance in the thumping 4-0 defeat at Manchester City.

In his column in Ireland’s Sunday World newspaper, Liverpool goalscoring legend Aldridge had a stark warning for his old club.

He suggested Jurgen Klopp’s men may regret their lacklustre performance at the Etihad Stadium. Arguing that they had handed some encouragement to Pep Guardiola’s dethroned champions.

“It was shocking to see Liverpool taken apart at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday night. I fear their 4-0 defeat could have a lasting impact,” wrote Aldridge.

“Jurgen Klopp could have claimed the defeat didn’t count for much as his side are already Premier League champions. It was also was an end of season game with little resting on it. But he didn’t try to hide his annoyance in his Sky Sports interview after the game.

“This is a manager and team that have not had to deal with too many defeats in the last couple of years. So to go down to such a big loss against your nearest rivals would have stung, make no mistake about it.

“Speaking from personal experience, I also believe that result and the performance will live in the memories of both sets of players. As that was the starting gun being fired on next season.

“City will be Liverpool’s chief rivals in all the major competitions when the new campaign gets underway in September. And when it comes to the game at the Etihad, there will be a few scars left from the last meeting.

“On the other hand, Klopp may look to use the defeat as motivation to remind his players of about what can happen when they switch off. But it was a shame that Liverpool turned in a performance like that. Especially against opponents who have been on the back foot against them for a couple of years.

“I look back on Liverpool’s 5-1 demolition of City in the Champions League quarter-final a couple of years back. It was a tie that sent shockwaves through Pep Guardiola’s side that ensured they were terrified of Liverpool every time they played them.”

 

Liverpool must finish on a high

Aldridge also called on Liverpool to finish the season on a high, as they look to break City’s Premier League points record of 100.

“Liverpool’s form in the final weeks before the lockdown was disappointing. And now they have had a couple of poor performances since the league restarted. So it’s time to get the minds clear and focus on what really matters,” he added.

“Champions have a duty to live up to their billing and Liverpool failed to do that against Manchester City three days ago. So the time has come to get back to business and set a few records.”

The Reds face Aston Villa in their next Premier League outing on Sunday.