Klopp baulks at Lampard’s arrogance claims
JURGEN Klopp has rejected Frank Lampard’s suggestion that the Liverpool bench was “arrogant” during the Reds’ 5-3 Premier League win over Chelsea on Wednesday night.
The two managers were seen arguing in the technical zones at Anfield, but the title-winning boss says he has no issue with the words spoken — other than when it continued beyond fulltime.
A video circulating on social media clearly showed the Chelsea boss swearing and gesticulating at the home coaches and Lampard has acknowledged he regrets the language used.
But Klopp has defended his backroom staff and said in his pre-newcastle press conference that in-game emotions should be left at the whistle.
“We are not arrogant. Frank was in a really competitive mood, I respect that a lot,” he said. “For me, after the game, it’s completely over. I have said a lot in the past, because it’s pure emotion, (we are) really involved.
“But what he has to learn is to finish it with the last whistle and he didn’t do that. Speaking after the whistle is not okay.
“He has a lot of time to learn, he’s a young coach, but that’s what he has to learn. During the game, the words he used, no problems at all. But, final whistle: close the book. He didn’t do that and that’s what I don’t like.”
Lampard, ahead of Chelsea’s final Premier League clash against Wolves at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, said: “I think arrogance is a very important quality in terms of how you attack a football match as a player, in terms of how you attack a football match as a manager.
“Because you will be full of expectations around you, criticism of anything you do that might be seen as being wrong or not quite right.
“And if you don’t have a level of arrogance in what you do, you can be affected negatively.
“What I think also when you talk about arrogance is respect, and when you are in a role at a club or whether you are talking about how benches work — what my feeling was the bench at Liverpool, or one person in particular, was absolutely crossing that line so that became arrogant to me.”