Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool's defensive problems can't be solved in the transfer market

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp not happy with persistent questions over his leaky defence

Mark Critchley
© © Independent.co.uk

Jurgen Klopp has suggested that Liverpool's persistent defensive problems cannot be simply solved by venturing into the transfer market.

Champions League football returned to Anfield on Wednesday night but Klopp’s side could only draw 2-2 with Sevilla at Anfield despite their guests registering just two shots on target.

Yassim Ben Yedder capitalised on a Dejan Lovren error to give the visitors an early lead, having seen the Liverpool defender fall over while trying to clear the ball.

Liverpool fought back with goals from Roberto Firmino and a deflected Mohamed Salah strike, but Joaquin Correa’s second-half equaliser following more sloppy defending ensured that the points would be shared.

Klopp admitted afterwards that there is still work to do on long-standing defensive frailties, following a summer transfer window which saw the club fail to sign Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk, their priority defensive target.

The Liverpool manager denied, however, that a new signing would mean the end of his side’s defensive problems and suggested that will only come through all-round ‘improvement’

"I know we are all looking for this thing. The defence was always something we are talking about. Didn't sign this or that, all that stuff," he said.

If these problems would've been sorted with one player, you can imagine we would put all our money and say come on let's do this. It's not about this.

"There's space for improvement for all of us. We need to learn to be dominant and not to give easy goals away.

"The first one was unnecessary and too easy, the second one I have to see again. It's not a general defending problem, but we have to improve."