EPL: Jurgen Klopp slams former Liverpool midfielder over criticism

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was not pleased when told that former midfielder Dietmar Hamann thought the club lacked “spark.”

After just eight games, the Reds have fallen 14 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after slipping to a 3-2 loss at the hands of the Gunners on Sunday.

Klopp, who ruled Liverpool out of the title race after the defeat, has seen his side ravaged by injuries – the latest casualties being Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joel Matip, and Luis Diaz – and has frequently faced questions about the manner of their defending.

Speaking before the club’s Champions League return match against Rangers, the German conceded that his team must perform better in some circumstances in order to not allow “silly goals,” but he didn’t seem amused when a journalist brought up Hamann’s criticism, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005.

We conceded silly goals, especially the second one in the first half, but between the first and second goal, we played against a team in form in the league a really good game,” Klopp said of the Emirates Stadium loss.

“Then I get the information only later after that because nobody could show that before, Saka was probably offside around the first goal and all of a sudden a bad defending situation becomes a good defending situation because he would have been offside, just the assistant didn’t see it or thought VAR would check it and VAR had no camera.

We are responsible for the situation around the penalty situation. We should have cleared it before, but it was still no penalty. We are responsible for going through a set-piece and conceding a counter-attack, of course, and we cannot be responsible for the first goal because it was good defending and it was offside.

“It’s really tricky and yes we can play better, but we didn’t go to Arsenal to show how good we are, we went to Arsenal to win the game.”

In reference to Hamann’s criticism of Liverpool, Klopp sarcastically replied: “He is a fantastic source, well respected everywhere.

“It [having played for Liverpool] doesn’t give you the right to say whatever you want, especially when you have no idea. I actually think Hamann doesn’t deserve you to use his phrase to ask me a question. Do me a favour and ask your own question.

“We have to keep fighting. It will not happen overnight.”