Micah Richards has criticised Jurgen Klopp for his behaviour towards Scott Parker as Liverpool thrashed Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds ran riot against the newly-promoted side at Anfield, hitting nine unanswered goals past the Cherries to secure their first win of the season and condemn the visitors to their third defeat in four games. Speaking after the match, Klopp insisted it was never Liverpool's intention to "humiliate Bournemouth" despite the emphatic margin of victory.
As the full-time whistle blew on Merseyside, the German seemed to make a point of comforting Parker, who was sacked by Vitality Stadium chiefs three days after the dismal defeat. While some saw the gesture as a classy one, former Manchester City defender Richards suspects it came across as "patronising" towards the English manager.
The pundit told BBC Radio 5 Live's The Monday Night Club : "Patronising. If I've just lost 9-0 - and I've had some absolute shockers, I remember one against Chelsea and one against Liverpool - if a player put his arm around me, I'd tell him where to go. That's the last thing you want.
"Klopp's not doing it to be patronising, he's doing it to be nice, but still, you don't want someone to put their arm around you when you've just lost 9-0. Not a chance. I would have just had a word afterwards. There's cameras on you 24/7 and if Scott Parker reacts then it makes it something a lot bigger than it needs to be. You don't want someone's arm around you when you've just lost 9-0, come on."
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In contrast to Richards' verdict, Jermaine Jenas praised Klopp for showing a "touch of class" by moving to console his counterpart. He told Match of the Day : "I thought that element from Jurgen Klopp was a touch of class, to be honest with you. He'll have been in that situation himself as a young manager and will understand what Scott Parker's going through."
Bournemouth's dismantling at Anfield proved to be Parker's final game in charge of the south coast outfit. The former England midfielder led the Cherries to automatic promotion from the Championship last season but three consecutive defeats in the Premier League - following the opening-weekend victory over Aston Villa - led to his dismissal. Parker was previously in charge of Fulham, whom he also led to the top flight via the play-offs, and former Burnley boss Sean Dyche is the bookmakers' favourite to succeed him in the Bournemouth dugout.
