Jurgen Klopp told he has 'a lot to explain' following Liverpool's disastrous Europa League defeat to Atalanta as Steve McManaman warns 'wheels have come off' Reds' season

The defeat at Anfield marked Liverpool's first loss on home turf since their 5-2 defeat by Real Madrid in the Champions League back in February 2023. Despite their impressive home record, Liverpool faltered against Atalanta, with Gianluca Scamacca's brace and a late goal from Mario Pasalic sealing the visitors' victory.

The outcome now leaves Liverpool with a daunting task in the return fixture in Italy. In a candid assessment, McManaman has called on Klopp to "explain" his team's lacklustre performance and the sudden downturn in form, despite their stellar record throughout the season - with only one defeat in their last ten matches, a narrow 4-3 loss to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

Speaking on TNT Sports, McManaman said: "This victory means more to them [Atalanta] of course because last time Liverpool had qualified and changed the team. This time this is against the favourites at Anfield, the favourites whom people expected to walk to Dublin. And woah! They've put a stop to that talk. And do you know what, they haven't deserved it tonight. Liverpool have been very average.

"They've been amazing this year and all the nice things that have been said about them, but tonight... Wow, the wheels have come off. All the substitutions that have been made haven't had an impact as they have had this year. It will be interesting to see what the manager has to say when he explains it away... because there's a lot to explain!"

Looking ahead to the return fixture in Bergamo, McManaman believes Liverpool need to keep a clean sheet to stand any chance of still making it to the last four. However, it is a task he implied would be "hard to do" based on their recent defensive performances.

As Liverpool regroup and prepare for the challenges ahead, the pressure mounts on Klopp to address the issues highlighted by McManaman and ensure that the team can bounce back from this setback as they pursue glory in England and Europe.