Jurgen Klopp has dismissed suggestions of an attitude problem among his Liverpool squad as he explained his recent criticism of their body language.
Jurgen Klopp said: “There are plenty of things I don’t like and we have to improve, but the body language in training is no problem. Our training is hopefully still useful and helpful. I would love it as a player to have these sessions. If you can’t enjoy them any more then your career is too long, let me say it like this. We don’t have these problems. The good periods have to feel good for the boys as well. They have to realise ‘oh, that’s okay’. So we can do it again, go again and I’m not sure we are already there. So it’s like Liverpool flying, winning 3-0 or 4-0, it’s very, very far in the mind but it’s still there. These are human issues.”
Klopp, though, has reiterated his displeasure at the manner in which his Liverpool team reacted during the closing moments last weekend, not least the tackle by Andy Robertson that led to Brighton’s winning goal and the challenge by Fabinho that referee body PGMOL later admitted should have resulted in a red card rather than a yellow.
Jurgen Klopp said: “The harsh tackles we made in the last few minutes, I don’t like that, if I’m being honest. You can accuse me of a lot, but none of my teams ever was famous for having the harshest tackles in the Premier League. I really want my boys to win the ball, but I want them to win the ball and not hit somebody’s leg. It can happen, my God that’s football and these things can happen. But not because you are not in the best mood – ’I solve my problems by kicking somebody else’. I hate that. And so that’s part of the body language, so it’s 1-1 and the game goes on and you have to fight.”
Jurgen Klopp added: “There was one situation before we conceded the free-kick (for the winning goal) where three players couldn’t make it to support the defence and that was something I will never like in my life and didn’t like it on the day. But body language isn’t generally a problem. Now in a few moments I didn’t like it, that’s true. I’m not a great loser, even when we lost a lot of games I didn’t turn into a fantastic loser. We have these emotions and before I can deal with everything I have to be outside and talk to the media, so that’s no helpful as well. That is why not everything I say directly after the game is the real truth, it’s just something you pick up in the last seconds.”
