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This article is part of Football FanCast's Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers...

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted he got his team selection and tactics wrong for the win over Newcastle on Saturday.

What did he say?

The German sprung a surprise in his selection by choosing Divock Origi ahead of Roberto Firmino, and then using Sadio Mane as the central striker.

Origi's injury forced him off before half-time, and Firmino's introduction turned the game in the Reds' favour. Speaking after the game, Klopp revealed the Brazilian's "creative edge" made all the difference, and acknowledged his mistake.

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He said: "It is significant he (Firmino) provided a creative edge when he came on. It was my idea to start with Sadio in the centre. That didn’t work really well. It has done in the past but today against such a deep defending side, it was a bit different. That's why we changed it already in the game (before Origi's injury). Then Bobby came on in his natural position. Sadio really flexible in that space, Mo really strong in one-on-ones all day.

"When we use Mo more often for balls in his feet and one-twos in and around the box we were really in charge of the game. We won a lot of second balls and there weren't as many counter-attacks. It was then a really good game."

Unnecessary experimentation

Whilst winning the Champions League again would be a remarkable achievement, surely ending the club's long wait for the Premier League title is the priority this season? It is that debate that makes the decision to drop Firmino to the bench all the more baffling. Surely the Reds would be better off picking their strongest line-up in the league, and then rotating for European games? Especially when outside of Napoli, one would expect them to coast through a relatively easy group.

If Klopp has any plans of overhauling Manchester City this year, they simply cannot afford any slip-ups. Origi may forever be etched into Anfield folklore for his exploits last season, but he is a serious downgrade on Firmino. The Reds looked a shadow of their real selves when the Belgian was playing against the Magpies, and so Liverpool must be far smarter in deciding which competitions they look to rotate for.

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