Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hasn’t been a happy bunny this season for a few reasons.
Speaking after the Reds’ defeat by Southampton on Monday night, the German manager appeared to take a random swipe at Manchester United over the amount of penalties they get awarded.
And earlier in the season, Klopp took on a BT Sports presenter in a heated post-match interview following a draw away to Brighton.
Whether it’s early kick-off times, penalties or substitutions, the Liverpool manager seems to be provoked on a number of issues this season, failing to cover himself with the same sort of composure he has shown in recent years.
And former Manchester City defender and RTE pundit Richard Dunne believes that Klopp should ignore what he believes are trivial matters and focus on his team’s results.
He told The Irish Independent: “Whether it’s intentional or not, the demeanour of a manager is reflected in his team. If the manager is happy and focused, his team will be the same.
“I looked at Jurgen Klopp last season, his positivity and energy, and I look at him now and see him fighting with people.
“He seems to be distracted by different issues: the number of substitutes you can use or how many penalties Manchester United are getting. Whatever the issue is, Klopp does not seem to be leading the team in the same way he did last season.”
It’s worth noting that Liverpool remain top of the Premier League despite it being quite a mixed season in terms of results.
Klopp’s side have only lost twice but there’s been a lot of needless draws – six, to be specific – and on the whole they certainly don’t look like the same team that cruised to the title last term.
That being said, they’ve been missing huge players for most of the season – Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Thiago Alcantara – so he himself might argue that to be top of the table is quite an achievement, all things considered.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
