Jurgen Klopp: I'd Be a 'Real Idiot' to Question Liverpool Players' Character

Jurgen Klopp has said he "would be a real idiot" to question the character of his side despite their 3-0 loss to Watford on Saturday. 

The reverse at Vicarage Road was Liverpool's first defeat in the Premier League since January 2019—a run of 44 games unbeaten—while it also ended a sequence of 18 consecutive wins:

After a tight first half, Watford outplayed their visitors in the second, with Ismaila Sarr scoring a double and Troy Deeney sealing the victory in the 72nd minute.

Liverpool were uncharacteristically error-prone and could have no complaints about the defeat when the final whistle blew. 

But Klopp said he did not get angry with his players after the loss:

"It can happen that I get angry with the players, but I didn't get angry with the players in this meeting. From a common-sense point of view, if I go in that meeting and shout at them like they have lost the last 10 games in a row because of a bad attitude, that would be really strange.

"I am not interested in myself feeling better after the meeting. I am interested in the boys getting the right information and it can be more emotional—I wouldn't say angry—or less emotional. If you need to analyse, you analyse, and analysis is not really emotional. It is looking at the facts. I am not a little bit in doubt about the character of the boys, and I would be a real idiot if I was, to be honest, because they deserve my trust, my faith and they don't lose it after a bad game."

Liverpool still have a 22-point lead at the top of the Premier League table and are all but guaranteed to win a first title in three decades this term:

They will also still beat Manchester City's record points tally of 100 set in 2017-18 if they drop fewer than nine points in their remaining 10 games of the campaign.

However, their form has dipped slightly since the winter break. 

Recent victories over Norwich City and West Ham Uniter were far from routine, and in between the Reds lost 1-0 to Atletico Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie in the UEFA Champions League.

In terms of their Premier League title hopes, Liverpool's blip means little as they would likely still be crowned champions if Klopp fielded the reserves in all their remaining games.

However, on Tuesday the Reds travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea in the fifth round of the FA Cup, a competition they have not won since 2006.

Then Bournemouth visit Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday before the Reds host Atleti next Wednesday for the return leg of their last-16 tie in the Champions League.

If the Reds suffer any kind of hangover from their loss to Watford, their future in two cup competitions this term could be in jeopardy:

While it will still go down as a historic campaign due to the end of their title drought, Liverpool will not want the 2019-20 season to peter out, and Klopp will need to revitalise his players after their shock loss on Saturday.