SEND HIM A LETTER?
Klopp: I moaned to ref about fouls on Coutinho and he threatened to banish me to the stand. What should I do ...
IF PREMIER LEAGUE referees think Jurgen Klopp has mellowed after his first full season in English football they’d be very wrong.
Bobby Madley found himself on the end of a ferocious blast from the Liverpool boss over the treatment of Philippe Coutinho from two Leicester players during this so-called friendly.
Madley threatened to send Klopp to the stands for erupting over tackles on the Barcelona target from Islam Slimani and Matty James.
Credit to Klopp, however, he stood his ground. Quite right too. Surely it is Madley’s job to ensure that players are protected.
Klopp said: “What can I do? Write a letter saying ‘By the way, that’s a foul – next time can you whistle?’
“Even in the pre-season and even though it’s a Premier League tournament, we should talk about this. I was not too happy about two decisions around Phil Coutinho, 100 per cent.
“The ref told me if I behave like I did today I would have to go in the stands.
“I said: ‘If I behave like today then I go in the stand, no problem. But you have to change how you whistle’. For me, it was a clear foul. It’s dangerous.”
Coutinho set up Mohamed Salah then scored the Asia Trophy winner himself in a man-of-the-match display.
Klopp said: “I know it’s a difficult game to whistle for refs.
“But these things are obvious to me and that’s why I thought it would be nice if he could help the players a little bit more because these players make the difference and they bring people into the stadium. That’s why we have to look after them.”
If Coutinho is supposedly unhappy at being denied a move to the club that spirited away Luis Suarez then he wasn’t showing it here.
He was sensational, pulling the strings throughout and giving Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez the runaround to such an extent that the Algerian at one stage had to grab his shirt to stop him getting away.
Leicester took a shock lead in front of a packed, largely Liverpool-supporting local crowd in the 12th minute. Christian Fuchs crossed for Slimani to head past Loris Karius, who should have done better. Salah equalised eight minutes later when he headed home after Coutinho had lifted the ball over the Leicester defence.
A minute before half-time, Salah crossed, Roberto Firmino worked the ball out and Coutinho smashed a sumptuous effort past Kasper Schmeichel.
Klopp reiterated his insistence that his prize asset will not be leaving following Barcelona’s £72million bid on Thursday.
Liverpool will continue to reject any offers from Barca with owners FSG firmly behind the manager.
Klopp, who held talks with 25-year-old Coutinho at the team hotel before his virtuoso display, said: “Everyone knows he is a key player for us.
“He loves the club and the city, that’s clear. But that he’s able to play like that tonight, in a very difficult moment of the pre-season, is good to see. That shows his big potential.”