Klopp lashes out at Ramos the ‘wrestler’
JURGEN KLOPP has claimed Sergio Ramos put Mohamed Salah ‘down like a wrestler’ in the controversial 26th-minute flashpoint of May’s Champions League final.
Speaking for the first time in detail about the pain Liverpool suffered 63 days ago, including the concussion suffered by goalkeeper Loris Karius , the Anfield boss was critical of Ramos’ behaviour and called him ‘ruthless’ for the challenge which saw Egyptian striker Salah leave the pitch in tears.
Recounting what happened on the night his team lost 3-1 to Real Madrid, Klopp — whose side face Manchester United in Ann Arbor tonight — said: ‘I’m not sure if it is an experience we will have again. Go there and put an elbow to the goalkeeper, put their goalscorer down like a wrestler in midfield and then you win.’
Reflecting on the Ramos incident, Klopp said: ‘I watched that back, of course. Someone showed it to me immediately after the game. But if you watch it back and you are not with Real Madrid, then you think it is ruthless and brutal. You don’t think: “Wow! Good challenge.” It was ruthless.
‘Ramos said a lot of things I didn’t like. As a person, I didn’t like his reactions. He was like: “Whatever! What do they want? It’s normal!” No. It isn’t normal. If VAR is coming, this is a situation where you have to look again, not to give a red card, but to say: “What is that?”
‘If you put all of the situations of Ramos together — and I’ve watched football since I was five — then you will see a lot of situations with Ramos. In the final the year before against Juve, he was responsible for the red card for (Juan) Cuadrado.’
Keeper Karius, who was badly at fault for two of the Madrid goals, had been elbowed in the head by Ramos while the match was goalless. No foul was given and the German never asked for treatment. He was subsequently diagnosed with concussion after being examined by Dr Ross Zafonte and Dr Lenore Herget at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital.
‘People said we made the medical report public because it’s policy — it’s not,’ said Klopp. ‘We didn’t use it as an excuse. But how can we not put it out as an explanation?
‘The problem is that people still don’t believe it. Then we bring in a new goalkeeper and people think we don’t believe it as well.’
New No 1 Alisson Becker has arrived from Roma in a £65million world record deal, while Naby Keita and Fabinho, two midfielders who have cost almost £100m, have added depth and class to the Liverpool engine room. Xherdan Shaqiri was a £13m buy from Stoke that made, in Klopp’s words, ‘total sense.’
But Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said such buys mean there is now a ‘demand’ on Liverpool to become champions.
‘I heard he was smiling when he said it and he found it funny,’ said Klopp ahead of tonight’s friendly. ‘So I am really happy Jose is smiling! It doesn’t happen a lot!
‘Jose tries everything to put pressure on people and improve his own situation.
‘If he goes for spending money — and I’m not the best at counting what we have spent in the last few years — still Manchester United probably has spent a little bit more, at least net. That is how it is. It’s not important.’