'Fail in the most beautiful way': Jurgen Klopp calls on Liverpool to repeat Barcelona heroics

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has urged his team to channel the same energy which helped them engineer the iconic Barcelona comeback in 2019. Klopp's demand of his team comes after the Reds lost the UEFA Europa League (UEL) quarterfinal first leg match against Atalanta 0-3 at Anfield last week.

Klopp's men will take the field on Thursday (Apr 18) in the second leg at Bergamo and hope to overturn the tie whilst keeping hopes of another silverware alive.

"I remember that I said (in 2019): ‘If we fail, then let’s fail in a most beautiful way’ and that’s how I see it again," Klopp told the reporters.

"And that’s exactly how I see it again. We want to win the game. If we want to win, we better play good. If we play good, we have a chance. After the game (last week), everyone in the stadium thought, “That’s it”. But a week later, I don’t think everybody thinks it’s already decided," added the German.

Liverpool were toothless in finishing off the chances against the SerieA side at home and ultimately paid the price for it. A brace from Gianluca Scamacca and a goal from Mario Pasalic ensured that Atalanta walked away with a famous win at Anfield.

All to play for

Liverpool have been known for staging epic comebacks on the European stage. The match against Barcelona remains one of the most famous matches under Klopp's tenure. At the time, Liverpool lost the away leg at Camp Nou before making a comeback for the ages with a 4-0 win which helped them eventually lift the UCL trophy.

‘I have been long enough in this business to know it is two legs, it is over when it is over. We are still allowed to play tomorrow, we are 100,000 per cent focused. We are only here to play football - but I cannot win this game in this press conference today," added Klopp.

Klopp is in his last season at Liverpool and has already won the Carabao Cup. However, his main objective remains securing the Premier League trophy where Manchester City and Arsenal are his other challengers. The Merseyside club recently suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace which has dented Klopp's chances of walking away with a second PL title.

(With inputs from agencies)