Following their stunning 4-3 defeat at the Vitality Stadium, the Reds boss admits his side needed to recover as a unit during a short break in Spain.
Jurgen Klopp has revealed his Liverpool players needed a midweek “training break” to Barcelona to recover from their desperate 4-3 loss at Bournemouth.
In-form Liverpool had led 3-1 at Vitality Stadium with 15 minutes remaining, but Bournemouth struck three times late on to turn the game on its head and claim the three points.
However, writing in the club’s programme ahead of a home match against West Ham, Klopp is adamant his side are not “finished” after that shock reverse – and reflected on a trip to Spain, where Liverpool took in Barcelona’s defeat of Borussia Monchengladbach.
“What can I say about the Bournemouth result other than: for us it will serve as a lesson and we will take the information from it and develop as a team,” he wrote.
“There were so many positives from the performance and I cannot fault the players’ attitude or character. They gave us everything on the pitch, but in the end we didn’t get the job done and, of course, that is frustrating.
“But when you can learn from experiences such as this, long-term we can take the benefits from them. We are still a team in development. We are still learning together.
“We are by no means ‘finished’. It would not be smart or clever if we were by this stage. Of course we did not want this lesson or experience, but we had it and now we must use it.
“After the game, the team and staff flew to Barcelona for a training break. I’m not sure what you would call this; I have seen ‘team bonding’ and other phrases used, like ‘warm weather training’. I suppose these descriptions are fair.
“What we did was take the players away so they could have some time in a different environment. They enjoyed an evening together, but the rest of the time was training and being a team away from Melwood.
“Of course, Melwood is our headquarters of football, but a change of environment and scenery is also a good thing”.
Suspended Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales said Sunday he will resign from his post because of the scandal caused by his kiss on the lips of a Women’s World Cup player.
“I’m going to (resign), yes, because I cannot continue my work,” said Rubiales in an interview with television show “Piers Morgan Uncensored”.
“(Family and friends) say to me ‘Luis, you need to focus on your dignity and continue your life. If not you are going to damage people you love and the sport you love’.”
Rubiales, 46, sparked a worldwide backlash after forcibly kissing midfielder Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony following Spain’s World Cup triumph in Sydney on August 20.
The chief was suspended by FIFA provisionally for 90 days, while Spanish public prosecutors filed a lawsuit against him for sexual assault and coercion earlier this week.
Hermoso, 33, filed a complaint at the National Court on Tuesday, formally accusing Rubiales of sexual assault.
In a letter sent by Rubiales to the federation on Sunday night, he also said he was resigning as a vice-president of European football governing body UEFA.
“After the swift suspension carried out by FIFA, plus the rest of the procedures opened against me, it is evident that I will not be able to return to my position,” said Rubiales in the letter.
“Insisting on waiting and clinging to it is not going to contribute to anything positive, neither for the federation nor for Spanish football.
“Among other things, because there are powers that be that will prevent my return.”
