Gabby Agbonlahor has blasted Jurgen Klopp on TalkSPORT on Wednesday after the Liverpool manager’s reaction to Dietmar Hamann’s comments – branding the Anfield gaffer as a “petulant child” and that he is “losing his spark”.
Hamann, a former Liverpool player and Champions League winner with the Merseyside club, said that Liverpool lack a “spark”. The ex-midfielder told TalkSPORT earlier this week that the Reds looked “pedestrian” and “tired” at Arsenal.
Asked about those comments during Tuesday’s press conference, Klopp was not impressed. He retaliated to the reporter’s question, who referenced Hamann’s comments, by questioning the validity of Hamann as a source.
That is, despite Hamann being a former player of the club, and a Champions League winner with the Anfield side. Agbonlahor gave his verdict, branding Klopp as “petulant” and that he does not have the same spark as he once did.
“I thought it was like a petulant child, to be honest,” Agbonlahor said. “Hamann won the Champions League with Liverpool, had a fantastic career. If he can’t talk about Liverpool, who can? I think he [Klopp] is losing his spark as well.
“He’s cracking under the pressure. Bringing your best player, in Salah, off when you need a goal. Something is not right. It was a perfectly honest question. It’s a harmless thing for Hamann to say. He’s losing it.”
Agbonlahor has blasted Liverpool manager Klopp as petulant
While Hamann is a former Liverpool player, and as Agbonlahor rightly says, a Champions League winner with the club – that does not give him the divine right to say whatever he wants. Plenty of players are Champions League winners.
But Hamann has become renowned for saying outlandish things in the public domain. While his comments were not particularly misplaced this time, his name is likely to be a trigger for Klopp. It was disrespectful of the Reds manager.
However, Hamann is not totally innocent in this and criticising £180k-a-week Klopp as a “petulant child” is excessive. A win against Rangers will calm everyone down, at least until the weekend when the Reds take on Manchester City.
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