Liverpool suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat at Anfield on Thursday night, leaving their Europa League hopes in tatters against a rampant Atalanta side.
Jurgen Klopp, uncharacteristically subdued, conceded his team were comprehensively outplayed. Fielding a lineup with six changes from the weekend's draw with Manchester United, Liverpool lacked their usual rhythm and defensive stability.
"We weren't good on the ball," admitted Klopp.
"We kept giving the ball away in bad areas, leaving us chasing shadows. We had an offside goal disallowed, but overall, it was a woeful performance from us. Atalanta deserved the win."
Klopp continued, "There were a few displays tonight that were frankly shocking. Several players looked completely isolated throughout the match. It was very poor."
The Reds boss reacted by making a triple substitution at halftime. While youngster Harvey Elliott was unlucky to see his effort cannon off the woodwork, and Curtis Jones is still regaining full fitness, there were no excuses for Kostas Tsimikas' display.
Thankfully for Klopp, Alisson Becker is nearing a return to full training, as is Andy Robertson. Their return to the starting lineup seems inevitable as Liverpool strive to rediscover the defensive solidity that was absent on Thursday.
Klopp's gamble on rotation backfired spectacularly. Moving forward, with the exception of a potential dead rubber second leg in Bergamo, expect him to deploy his first-choice XI for the remainder of the season.
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