“I have no skills for playing mind games”: Jurgen Klopp Hits Back At Mark Clattenburg After Being Labelled A Hypocrite By The Referee: The Liverpool manager was in no mood to take things lying down
After losing 1-0 to Southampton in his foregone Premier League outing, Jurgen Klopp was clearly not in the best of moods. And a seething Klopp is known to lash out at a slew of issues as has become the norm across his tenure as the club’s manager.
However, his comments ensuing the club’s defeat were not only just words said in ire. There was clear substance to Klopp’s allegations of Manchester United being favoured by the referees as he shed light on the staggering 30 penalties the club has been awarded across the last two seasons.
His claims sparked a massive bruhaha with Mark Clattenburg deciding to jump in and voice his opinion as well. The previous Premier League referee was not sold by Klopp with him going as far as to paint the Liverpool boss as a hypocrite.
Mark Clattenburg Labels Klopp As A Hypocrite
“He sounds like a hypocrite if he is suggesting United’s players are looking to win penalties. The likes of Mo Salah and Mane are just as capable of employing similar tactics,” Clattenburg wrote for the Daily Mail as he talked about Klopp’s comments.
“He is clearly getting edgy, though, because not since Fergie have we seen such a blatant attempt to influence a referee ahead of a big game. Klopp wasn’t doing this last season when Liverpool were winning every week.
“He does not like losing, he never has. He gets prickly. But he is wrong to suggest there is an aura around United that sees them given favourable decisions.
“There used to be when Fergie was there, but that has eased massively since he left.
“I am the only referee to give three penalties to the opposition at Old Trafford, and that was for Liverpool, of all teams.
“But David Moyes was the manager — I’m not sure that would have happened when Fergie was there!”
Jurgen Klopp Hits Back At Mark Clattenburg
Speaking today ahead of his side’s showdown against Manchester United at the weekend, Klopp was far from impressed with the choice of words Clattenburg had chosen for him.
When people like Mark Clattenburg speak it says much more about them than it says about me. I have no skills for playing mind games,” Klopp said.
“I 100 per cent never mention something like. It has never happened.
“Am I surprised someone is talking about what I have said? Clattenburg? No.
“It’s nice we can talk about him. I am not Sir Alex for different reasons.”
