Jürgen Klopp’s Angry Row with Amazon Presenter Shadows Liverpool’s Lacklustre 2-0 Triumph Against Sheffield United
With Liverpool’s below-par performance against Sheffield United, we needed some action, and Jürgen Klopp provided it in spades with his comments towards a disrespectful Amazon presenter. For context, Jürgen Klopp was having a post-match interview, and the Amazon presenter named Marcus Buckland made an “Ignorant” joke towards the German boss’s side about their kick-off time with Crystal Palace on Saturday. Jürgen Klopp evidently did not take kindly to the comment as he had continuously highlighted the unfair time schedule towards his team. Thus, the Liverpool manager fired back and made the exchange quite awkward between the pair.
What Transpired Between Jürgen Klopp and Marcus Buckland
As mentioned earlier, the situation started when Marcus Buckland stated that Liverpool’s visit to Selhurst Park on Saturday features another lunchtime kick-off, something Klopp has often complained about. He asked Jürgen Klopp: “You got to Crystal Palace in your favourite kick-off time?”
The Liverpool manager was not amused as he replied: “That’s really brave to make a joke about that. We go home. I don’t know what time exactly we will get home, but we will arrive, maybe 1 am-2 am tonight, and then play again. We have two sessions. I realise that you don’t understand it as well, even when you work in football, so why should I explain again? If you make a joke of that, you are completely ignorant. But it’s good, football is entertainment, and it’s all good.”
Despite Marcus Buckland trying to diffuse the situation by stating he did not mean to be disrespectful, Jürgen Klopp wanted none of it and replied: “You were already. All good, you can say what you want. I cannot say what I want because that would be really different. If you make a joke of that, you are completely ignorant.”
Jürgen Klopp Dismissed Title Chances and Revealed Joel Matip’s Injury Extend
Fortunately or unfortunately, Jürgen Klopp’s post-match conference had a little less fire as he felt contempt for the win. “I’m really pleased with the result. I’m pleased with a lot of aspects of the game. I know we can play better football, but at this time of the year, you play, hopefully, win, recover and play again.”
As for Joel Matip’s injury sustained on Sunday’s win against Fulham, the Liverpool manager revealed: “It’s an ACL, ruptured. Unfortunately, that’s what I expected from the first second. It looked like that. Very unfortunate, but that’s it. You can say what you want, but I cannot say what I want because that would be really difficult.”
When questioned about Liverpool’s title chances after Manchester City lost against Aston Villa, Jürgen Klopp mentioned they should get carried away and underestimate the defending champions. “We’re not interested in that. I’m really not interested in that. As long as we are around there, I’m fine with that. If somebody will write City off, that would be the biggest joke in the history of football. That really makes no sense. Arsenal is obviously fighting. It’s all so difficult, so intense, and we’ve got a lot of games coming up. Let’s get through this and ask me again in April.”
Liverpool Was Poor But Showed Champions Hallmark to Stay Behind Arsenal by 2 Points
With the off-field antics settled, let’s direct attention back to Liverpool’s performance on the pitch. For starters, Liverpool played well below their standard as they struggled to break down a reformed Sheffield United led by returning boss Chris Wilder. For example, the Kop controlled large swathes of the game but lacked the cutting edge to break through a resilient defence, something fans have become accustomed to recently.
However, the fact they did with a first-half goal from Van Dijk and a second-half stoppage-time strike from Dominik Szoboszlai showed the hallmark of title contenders, as despite not being at their best, they still found a way to win. It is exactly this kind of game in which title contenders separate themselves from title pretenders, a job only Liverpool and Arsenal have accomplished recently.
However, as Jürgen Klopp mentioned, Arsenal and Liverpool fans should not get too carried away as a season is a marathon, not a sprint. It matters not if you are not the leader at the end of the season, and fans of the respective clubs must have nightmares about previous instances where Manchester City outlasted them both and snatched the title away from them. For more football-related news, follow AsiaSport for daily updates on your favourite teams and clubs across the globe.
