Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been defended by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after he was accused of “disrespecting” Everton following their last-gasp Merseyside derby victory on Sunday.
A bizarre error of judgement from Toffee’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford allowed Divock Origi to score in the dying moments to seal the Reds a vital last-minute win at Anfield.
Klopp’s debatable antics: what you need to know…
- Liverpool scored in the last minute through Origi after a Pickford mistake.
- Amid the madness of celebration, Klopp ran onto the pitch the embrace with goalkeeper Alisson.
- The win allowed Liverpool to keep the pace with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.
- However, Klopp’s passionate celebrations have drawn criticism.
Guardiola has spoken out in support of Klopp, highlighting his own past antics that have seen his ‘overenthusiasm’ criticised by various members of the football community.
Speaking to reporters (via BBC Sport) Guardiola said: “There are a lot of emotions in that moment. I did it against Southampton (last season). I was not happy to do it but sometimes it is what it is. Things happen in your mind and your heart.
“When you win, people say it is your personality. When you lose, people say it is disrespectful.”
Who criticised Klopp?
Former Leeds United and England defender Danny Mills spoke out against Klopp’s decision to run onto the pitch, citing it as a great disrespect towards Everton.
Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Mills said: “Klopp would be lucky not to be running past me if I was playing in that game. But that’s the sort of problems it can cause.
“I just think it’s completely wrong. You cannot go on to the middle of the pitch, no matter what the circumstances.
“There are so many managers that get absolutely hammered but Klopp is very media friendly, everybody seems to love him and he can’t do anything wrong.”
What was Klopp’s response?
The excitable Liverpool coach issued an apology soon after the match, stating that his intention was never to aim disrespect towards Everton manager Marco Silva and his side and that his respect for the blue half of Merseyside couldn’t be higher after their fiercely contested match yesterday.
“First of all, I have to apologise for my run. I apologised immediately after to Marco Silva, I didn’t want to be disrespectful.
“My respect to Everton could not be bigger after that game. We knew how strong they were but today they were outstandingly strong and difficult with the way they played.
“The goal was lucky of course but our idea was clear: we wanted to win until the last second. We wanted to show that by bringing strikers on. It was a long and open game. I think we deserved the three points.”
Has Klopp been punished?
It would appear that Marco Silva has accepted Klopp’s apology, with the Everton boss saying (via BBC Sport): “I didn’t see Klopp’s reaction and if we scored that goal and had been so lucky I might have done the same. I didn’t see any disrespect.”
However, in the fallout from the game, the Football Association have charged Klopp with ‘misconduct’ for his zealous celebration.
The post Guardiola sympathises with Klopp amid claims he ‘disrespected’ Everton appeared first on Squawka News.
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