Jurgen Klopp calls on Liverpool stars to master the dark arts like league leaders Chelsea ahead of match at Hull
Klopp wants his side to become as streetwise as Antonio Conte's men after David Luiz caught Simon Mignolet out with a quick free kick
JURGEN KLOPP thinks his Kop stars must become streetwise scrappers and master the dark arts to challenge the Prem heavyweights.
His Liverpool have produced some of the season’s most exciting football — no one can match their 52-goal haul.
Yet they also have a worryingly soft under-belly — one which the likes of Swansea and Bournemouth have ruthlessly exposed.
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They were at it again in midweek when Klopp admitted Chelsea’s old heads were shrewder and wiser in the 1-1 Anfield draw.
David Luiz’s quick-thinking as he caught Simon Mignolet unawares with his wonder free-kick highlighted Liverpool’s naivety.
When the Reds then got a decision, Willian took a yellow card by standing over the ball and delaying it until Chelsea were set.
It is moments like that where Klopp knows his side have to be more cute.
The Kop boss admitted: “I would agree. I am not sure if you can force something like this but it’s a good thing to have in football.
“If you are a clever side, it is part of the football skills. They are more experienced and sometimes more clever or smart with, say, the situation with the free-kick.
“Yes, we can improve on this but we cannot improve every day on everything.
“We have to still be focused on a few things we can do immediately. With experiences come the other things, and you can’t buy experience, you have to do it together.
“We need to create things together and when things are working, we are creating moments.”
Under Klopp, Liverpool have become the great entertainers — when on their game — and that is not something he plans to change.
Yet he can also see how vital it is to be able to kill off a game from a winning position.
He added: “We have a young squad so we have to get to there. If you play like we play and win it’s great but we need more game management.
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“Everyone talks about our intensity but sometimes when we run like devils I have to say, ‘Come on, please cool down’.
“Like Chelsea would do at 2-0 up, or when Conte was in Turin . . . 1-0 up, change, put on a defender. That is a mentality.
“It is a start, maybe not always spectacular, but give us the time for this. It is not to be done in one week, two weeks or one year.”
Tuesday’s draw ended a run of three home losses in eight days and the Reds aim to continue their mini-revival at Hull today.
Their only major doubt concerns Nathaniel Clyne, who played against Chelsea despite suffering with a rib injury.