‘I don’t want to be careless’: Gerrard reacts to Klopp claim after Liverpool win at Villa

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Steven Gerrard has stated he doesn’t want his players to be ‘careless’ after Jurgen Klopp claimed Aston Villa ‘just went’ for Liverpool from the first whistle on Tuesday night.

Liverpool showcased their Premier League title-winning credentials at Villa Park by coming from behind to win 2-1.

Whilst Villa proved why Gerrard replaced Dean Smith in the Midlands back in November, as they had a mixed evening.

The 11th-placed side were brilliant on the night, but poor defensive mistakes and a lack of cutting edge up front proved to be costly.

One thing is for sure, Villa provided Liverpool with a scare, as Gerrard was told about Klopp’s comments post-match, whilst speaking to Sky Sports.

“Jurgen Klopp said you just went for them from the first whistle, that’s how he saw it, is that the sort of brave performance you wanted from your players,” asked the Sky reporter.

Gerrard responded: “Yes, but I don’t want it to be careless. We want to be bold and ambitious. The other option is to wait and you can still lose games that way.

“But you will have more regrets and frustrations. We have good players in our team. And if they are calculated about it, then we can hurt teams.

Gerrard was then told Villa’s two strikers caused Liverpool problems from a tactical standpoint to which he responded: “Jurgen has just said that, hasn’t he?!

“Listen, we had a lot more joy. We are a lot more dangerous with two number 9’s.”

One thing is for sure, Villa showcased much improvement from their defeat at Anfield in December which came during Gerrard’s first few weeks in the job.

But, at the end of the day, the end result is zero points, but that’s where the changes will be made in the summer.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Gerrard pushes for a central defensive midfielder, centre-back and striker during the summer transfer window.

Could Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, who was an unused substitute yesterday, be a possible option for the Anfield legend? One thing is for sure, Gomez improves Villa’s backline and walks straight into the XI.