Jurgen Klopp had just completed a lengthy round of TV interviews and was heading to Anfield’s Press room, muttering as he went.
‘Always the same,’ he said, repeating the words. Klopp was referring to the line of questioning that had come from those with cameras and microphones but he could easily have been referring to the latest performance from his team.
Klopp is an open book when it comes to reading his mood and this was one of those days when his eyes narrowed, the tone of his voice lowered and the arm-waving animation on the touchline was triggered, primarily, by Liverpool’s deficiencies.
Jurgen Klopp believes Liverpool are heading in the right direction despite two dropped points
The Reds defence was breached far too easily as Burnley drew first blood at Anfield
The home crowd had come to see Burnley buried under an avalanche of goals in the game that was closest to Liverpool’s 125th anniversary but, for all that they had 35 shots through the 90 minutes, they were left growling their frustration because they had conceded cheaply once again.
The atmosphere once the action started was tetchy. Some fans travel to Anfield now with expectations that are out of kilter with Liverpool’s position in the modern game, others simply don’t trust some of the players who have been handed the responsibility of wearing the shirt.
When you mix that together, the uncertainty grows and Sean Dyche, Burnley’s manager, picked up on that when he sat in the stands for the Champions League game with Sevilla; it left him convinced a rudimentary plan could let his team cause havoc.
Scott Arfield pounced to put the Clarets 1-0 ahead and they had chances to seal the victory
Liverpool’s Achilles’ heel was again exposed as Simon Mignolet was beaten low to his right
‘We deliberately got the ball as far down their throat as we could because we felt it would be effective,’ said Dyche, who saw Scott Arlfield score in the 26th minute after the usual panic in Liverpool’s defence.
‘I’m not really going to worry too much if you think long ball, short ball. It’s the right ball that counts. I was here on Wednesday, fans were saying it, pundits were saying it – everyone was talking about (Liverpool’s vulnerability), so they cannot all be wrong.
‘Was our plan that we outpass them 500 passes to whatever? No. So what can be an effective tool we can use? Let’s face it, we had two cleared off the line from set-pieces.’
Had Burnley won at Anfield for the first time since 1974, Klopp could not have complained. For all that Liverpool had possession, the life of the visitors’ goal was not charmed and it was Liverpool’s good fortune that Mo Salah equalised so quickly.
Liverpool were grateful for an immediate response from Mo Salah but could not build on it
Philippe Coutinho started the match on Saturday following a summer of transfer speculation
As Dyche observed, each ball that was flung into the area felt like it was met with a sharp intake of breath and the fear that Liverpool – who have conceded more than Crystal Palace – would crack.
Still Klopp was defiant. ‘If we we’re not creating chances then I’d be really concerned but we are creating. We had enough chances to win. We made a few wrong decisions but this was a really hard game to play.’
The squandered points took the spotlight away from the return of Philippe Coutinho, who was starting for the first time since the move he wanted to Barcelona fell through. He was given a respectful ovation before kick-off but left the field to limited noise when substituted.
Coutinho turned down two requests to speak to local reporters as he left the stadium but did chose to open up to ESPN Brazil about how ‘honoured’ he was to be the subject of a £114million bid from Barcelona but says there is no agreement in place to leave in 12 months.
‘What happened was a job offer and, in life, sometimes you get interested,’ Coutinho said. ‘Sometimes you don’t. In my case, everyone knows that I got interested, my family too. It was a complicated month but I am here and I am working hard for the team’s goals.’
So is there a chance he will do what Luis Suarez did and leave next year?
‘Not that I know of,’ Coutinho replied. ‘I am doing my best here. It is all in the past.’