Jurgen Klopp Urges Liverpool 'Restart' After Unbeaten Run Is Ended by Watford

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged his players to "restart" after Watford ended their bid to finish the Premier League season unbeaten. 

The Reds manager doesn't believe the setback has to be a negative:

"Sometimes a little knock is important. So I don't see anything negative in it.

"From time to time if you are not good enough, you need to see [the] effect. Not good enough―what happens then? So restart.

"Maybe the longer the run goes maybe it becomes more important. But I didn't see that. Now it is over. We can start again with whatever we did before, and we will."

Liverpool are on pace to win their first league title since 1990, but their bid to do so undefeated came crashing down on Saturday, when the Hornets shocked the European champions 3-0:

The defeat had been coming following poor outings against Norwich City and West Ham United. The Canaries didn't concede until the 78th minute, and West Ham held the lead until a Mohamed Salah equaliser after 68 minutes.

The Reds also suffered a defeat in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie against Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool.com's Kristian Walsh noted their form had been off since the short winter break:

The New York Times' Rory Smith thought it was reminiscent of last season:

With the Premier League title all but locked up―Manchester City trail the Reds by 22 points, albeit with a match in hand―Liverpool's primary focus is the defence of their European title. The 1-0 defeat away to Atletico isn't insurmountable, but the Rojiblancos are known for their defensive fortitude and will likely present a big challenge at Anfield.

With an eye on that match, the defeat against Watford may have come at the perfect time. The Reds have a perfect record at home in the Premier League―14 wins from 14 matches―and may have needed the wake-up call ahead of the return leg on March 11.

Klopp is unsure how his players will react to their unbeaten run ending: "You cannot win the amount of games the boys have done if they are easily influenced by the outside world, and we will see how they react. But I don't know because I've never won 18 games in a row and didn't lose 44―first time in my life. How they react we shall see."

Atletico's away form is good news for the Premier League giants heading into the return leg of their tie:

Liverpool's next outing will be on Tuesday in the FA Cup against Chelsea. That will be followed by a Premier League fixture against Bournemouth before the all-important clash with Atletico.