Jurgen Klopp might not get much sympathy if you don't support Liverpool - but he's right
Jurgen Klopp was never going to go quietly and there will be more to come over the next fortnight, for sure.
Ahead of his penultimate match at Anfield, Klopp took aim at a variety of targets – one being Simon Hooper, in a wonderfully, nastily petty way. Yep, remember him? The referee who took charge of Liverpool’s controversial loss at Tottenham … seven months ago.
“Hooper was there against Everton,” shuddered Klopp, referring to the man who performed fourth official duties at the recent Merseyside derby. “I tried to get it out of my head but I couldn’t.”
And from that, you conjure up this image of Klopp having sleepless nights long into his life over a referee who gave Curtis Jones a dubious red card in an early season tussle. “I don’t want to make it the biggest subject but I cannot forget the Tottenham game,” Klopp went on.
He can probably forget the dozens of games in his Liverpool career when his own side have had the benefit of dubious decisions but not the ones he felt went against him. And that ferociously one-eyed approach was part of what made Klopp such a success at Liverpool and so fantastically popular with the fanbase.
But even Klopp must grudgingly accept that Hooper’s performance on September 30 was not the reason Liverpool faltered in the latter stages of the season, both in the Premier League and the Champions League. Don’t forget, Hooper also made a big mistake that went against Manchester City in their 3-3 draw against Spurs at the Etihad.
Simon Hooper was one of the subject of Jurgen Klopp’s ire in Friday’s press conference
The reasons Liverpool faltered are many. Perhaps, for example, the squad – in terms of pure talent – had been punching above its weight. But there is no doubt that a punishing schedule caught up with Klopp’s personnel.
It is easy to ridicule Klopp for his persistent moaning about the fixture demands on Liverpool and, of course, his persistent beef with the 12.30 kick-off on a Saturday. And over the years, this column has led the way, pointing out to Jurgen that Liverpool won the title in 1965-66, using only FOURTEEN players in the entire season.
But, absolutely, he has a point in denouncing the demands on the big clubs at the business end of the season. “Thursday-Sunday, Wednesday-Saturday 12.30pm. It is a crime. I was waiting for Amnesty International to go to them.” He made that point in typically over-the-top fashion but it is a valid one.
Klopp has just three matches left as Liverpool boss
Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Old Trafford on April 7 was the first of seven games in 21 days. And their rivals had similar schedules. Was that a key factor in the exodus of those clubs from European competition? It might not have been THE key factor but it was one.
But what was interesting in Klopp’s tirade on Friday was when he revealed people from TNT Sports told him “they pay us to play football”. Klopp went on to explain why he doesn’t see it that way but such has been the commercial avarice of Premier League clubs, it IS that way.
The television companies have control of the Premier League schedule because they paid the clubs billions of pounds. And, quite simply, if managers want schedules to help – rather than hinder – their team, only the club owners can make that change.
Take less money from TV, take back control of the schedules. He might not get much sympathy from fans with no allegiance to Liverpool but Klopp is right to go out with a pop at the schedule. And it is nice to hear him continue to be passionate about our game. English football will miss him.
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