Don't let the beaming smile fool you. Jurgen Klopp has been in better moods.
Liverpool ’s boss arrived at Ibrox with a major thorn in his side following an error strewn start to a league campaign which, by his own admission, has already ended his hopes of landing another EPL title. So the German’s verbal sparring with some English reporters in Tuesday night’s press conference painted a fascinating picture of the pressure he’s under on Merseyside after his side slumped to yurt another defeat at Arsenal at the weekend.
It was put to him that one pundit had suggested his team is missing a ‘spark’. And Klopp bristled: “Who said that?” When told this was the verdict of former German international Didi Hamann, Klopp snapped: “Oh great, he’s a fantastic source. Well respected everywhere.” He then dismissed Hamann’s credentials as a former Liverpool midfielder. Klopp said: “That doesn’t give you the right to say what you want especially when you have no idea.
“I actually think Didi Hamann doesn’t deserve that you use his phrase to ask me a question. Do me a favour and ask your own question. That’s good. Try to ask a question without the word ‘spark’. That’s the challenge.”
Klopp was asked: What do you need to get the momentum going? He said: “We have to keep fighting. It will not happen overnight and especially not when you look at the Arsenal game - and I know people don’t want to hear it - but on Sky Sports ref watch Mr Dermott twice says the decision was wrong by the best English referee, Michael Oliver.
“The first goal we lost was pretty likely offside. But we can’t find out because the camera was not there or whatever. I don’t know exactly the reason. But when I saw the picture I thought it was obvious that Saka came back from an offside position.
“So, 100 per cent, we conceded silly goals, especially the second one in the first half. In the second half we scored our second goal. We weren’t as good as we were in the first half but it was an open game.
“Then there was a penalty that wasn’t a penalty and from that moment on we had to chase the game and Arsenal could counter attack. But it’s difficult to judge that game. We didn’t play our absolute best football - I saw that - but we played away against the team first in the table, a great team.
“What did we miss? Just the right ref’s decisions would have been helpful to be 100 per cent honest. Then we can judge the game.
“But if we had won that game then, to the outside world, our problems would be completely sorted. We know it’s not like that. Now we have lost a game and three players. That’s obviously exactly the opposite of what should have happened.
”But the only thing we can do is to keep fighting. And that’s what we’ll do. Everyone who wants to see it can see it. We fought against Arsenal and that’s what we’ll do tomorrow night because we have to do it.:”
Klopp was also asked if he was surprised by Rangers ’ safety first approach to last week’s tie. He said: “Surprised? OK we were not sure if they would play with five at the back or four at the back. That’s one thing.
“They could have started with a different striker. Was that a surprise? No. You just wait for the line-up.
“I really thought Rangers really went for it - they really tried - but we were really good. We should not forget that.
“But tomorrow will be completely different in this atmosphere. We know it will be a tricky game but we thought we’d come here anyway.”
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