Elusive win slips from Liverpool’s grasp

Liverpool 1 Southampton 1: Jurgen Klopp’s message to all of those following his early progress at Liverpool could be summed up in two words: ‘Calm down.’ Klopp has spent a significant chunk of his first fortnight in charge at Anfield appealing for calm; to his nervous players, to the club’s excitable fans, to a hungry media keen to follow his every move.

His arrival was intended to revive the fortunes of a club who have slipped from Premier League title contenders towards mediocrity in little more than a year. No-one should be expecting instant success on that front; Klopp will clearly need time to achieve his goals. In the short term, though, jitters are surfacing everywhere.

At the moment, Klopp’s Liverpool are nervy. They stuttered and stumbled through the opening 45 minutes of his third match in charge, snatched at chances when they picked up the pace in the second half, looked to have nudged their way to a late victory, then gave it away with some lax defending.