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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Stephen Killen

'What does this mean?' - Jurgen Klopp's angry response to Geoff Shreeves question as Sky Sports icon leaves

Sky Sports touchline reporter Geoff Shreeves will leave the broadcaster with immediate effect as their cuts continue.

The company have held the rights to showcase Premier League football since 1992 with the 58-year-old spending 30 years as part of the organisation providing interviews and insights from the touchline.

Long-term commentator Martin Tyler was among the cuts as his time calling football matches came to an end. Shreeves was offered the opportunity to continue working but on a reduced salary and has opted to walk away, considering other options.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has a love-hate relationship with journalists and reporters during his time on Merseyside. He has been involved in well-publicised incidents with BT Sport's Des Kelly in the past and the Sky Sports man hasn't been far away from a scowling response from the German.

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A week after the Reds were crowned Premier League champions, they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City in 2020. The former Borussia Dortmund boss was in a prickly mood and took umbrage with his line of questioning.

Shreeves began: "Jurgen, you said before the game [that] 'we prepared but we won't know until it starts how it will turn out. What did you make of it and the way the game panned out?"

A confused Klopp responded: "I understood your question in the manner that you didn't understand how much this game means to us or how much we... what did you mean with the question that you asked about preparation?"

"You said before the match," the 58-year-old reporter described but Klopp was quick to interject: "I know, I know. Exactly, I understood it attitude-wise, is the game important to us? I saw brilliant attitude, I saw boys who were fighting with all they had. We didn't behave like someone who become champions a week ago, that was all good.

"We lacked fluidity and that's for sure and in some situations, 50/50s they were just quicker than us in mind, that's true. Then the pitch becomes bigger immediately so first goal we leave Joe [Gomez] it felt like five minutes alone in a challenge with [Raheem] Sterling - there must be a second player.

"I think before the second goal we lose the ball, the third goal which makes no sense. It happens but City cause massive problems and used their chances, not all, we didn't. City deserved the win 100 percent but a 5-3 [scoreline] would've been possible. Now it's a 4-0, we have to take that and do that, that's it."

But the difficult post-match interview didn't stop there. The Sky Sports interviewer asked the Liverpool manager about the chances that his side created which left him bemused.

"You ask me," Klopp said. "Why are you asking me if we had decent chances? We had moments but you watch a game completely calm and ask me if we had decent chances, it makes no sense this question.

"We have decent chances, ask me about them. So we had chances, situations, Sadio [Mane] was in the box, we didn't use them, they were not clear enough but we had moments where we could've scored and we didn't.

"The situation with Ederson is a good moment, goalie comes out makes a risk, takes advantage and these kind of things we have but not happen enough.

"As always in football, if you don't score, it's difficult to mention chances because everyone forgets them immediately. It's all okay, it's not nice, not what we wanted but I wanted to see that we have the right attitude, I saw that, it's fine. The result we have to take."

Frank Lampard's side handed Liverpool the crown after beating Manchester City as the Reds players and staff watched on at Formby Hall Golf Club. The win over Chelsea at Anfield ended the 30-year wait to get their hands on the top-flight title once again.

Shreeves prompted whether there was perspective needed after winning the title and Pep Guardiola's side being better and faster in certain areas.

Klopp reacted: "Sorry? What does that mean? I don't understand English now, I'm sorry, what does it mean? Do we have to..." Before the touchline reporter reworded his question.

"If you want to lead this story that we were not here or focused on the game then do it," the Liverpool boss responded. "This is the second time you speak about attitude. I like my team, I like how they set up and I thought it's clear.

"If you go again with that, I think we proved that point and proved City is an unbelievably good team. So isn't it nice that in this league, another team can be champion even when City is around and plays this kind of football. That's a surprise as well."

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