Dirk Kuyt says Liverpool FC have plenty of time to address their pre-season problems
DIRK KUYT insists Liverpool still have time to put things right ahead of their Premier League opener against Sunderland at Anfield.The Reds were held to a 3-3 draw by Valerenga in Oslo last night and they have now conceded 15 goals in five friendlies.
However, the Dutchman insists there is no reason to panic with just one pre-season game to come against Valencia at Anfield on Saturday before the visit of the Black Cats on August 13.
“We're very disappointed with the result,” Kuyt said.
“We had a really bad start to the game and conceded two goals. They were sharp and aggressive and played very well in the first half.
“I think from 2-0 down we tried to come back into the game and we scored some good goals. We played better in the second half and got ourselves 3-2 up but then gave it away at the end.
“We have to do a little bit more to be ready for the league but we still have time to work on things. We had a good trip to Asia, we've all worked hard and the next step is to put that into the games.
“I'm not concerned as it's still pre-season. If we beat Sunderland in our first game then it's been a good pre-season for us.”
Kuyt believes it's unfair to point the finger at his side's defenders for the glut of goals which Kenny Dalglish's men have conceded.
“We are letting in too many goals but the point is we have to defend like a team,” he added.
“That starts from the front and we need to improve.
“We know we have the ability and we just need to train really hard.
“We have another practise game on Saturday to put things right. I'm sure if we do that a little bit better in the next game then we will be ready for Sunderland.”
Kuyt also paid tribute to the support Liverpool enjoyed inside the Ullevaal Stadium.
“It's amazing how many Liver-pool supporters we have got over here,” Kuyt said. “I've played here before and it's always great to come to Norway.”
Raul Meireles missed the trip due to a bruised foot and Martin Skrtel is still hampered by a calf injury.
Liverpool Echo It's hard to be optimistic to fix the problems in time to be honest. I think they need time and we should be patient to see the team playing at the expecting standard. Some are off injured and some are new and it's natural to see below par performances. The coaching staff have a tough work to address and fix it in time. We have abilities to cope with and get some results if not ideal and I predict a gradually strong performance on time.