Back The Team Or Don't Come
Liverpool's head honcho, Jurgen Klopp, didn't mince words ahead of Saturday's showdown with league leaders Arsenal. Klopp urged any fan not ‘in the zone’ for the crucial match to pass their ticket on.
Klopp, steering a Liverpool side trailing Arsenal by a mere point, didn't hold back in slamming the lackluster Anfield atmosphere from Wednesday's 5-1 thrashing of West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
The Reds put on a goal-scoring spectacle, notching their season's biggest win and securing a spot in a two-legged face-off with Fulham. Goals flew in from Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and a brace from Curtis Jones. However, Klopp wasn't impressed, branding the stadium atmosphere as uninspiring.
This critique came despite the crowd swelling to 57,000, with the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand opening for only the second time.
Klopp Comments
And Klopp was no more complimentary after the win over West Ham.
"In the first half, when the boys played exceptionally, I was not overly happy with the atmosphere behind me," he said.
"I asked people: 'What do they want?' We changed a lot of things and we dominated West Ham like crazy and missed chances. If I was in the stands, I would be on my toes, 1,000%.
"I don't know if the Man United game was that bad that we have to say sorry we didn't smash them?"
"We need Anfield on Saturday," Klopp added.
"Arsenal didn't play this week. Anyone who knows anything about them knows they will be prepared, so we need Anfield on their toes from the first second, without me having an argument with the opposition coach.
"If it is too much football in December, if you are not in the right shape, give your ticket to somebody else."
Give Fans A Break
However, if the fans of Liverpool want to come to Anfield to put their feet up and have a relaxing time, then Klopp should let them!
We all know the Anfield crowd can be particularly vociferous on those balmy European nights in spring, but it’s the festive season and people need to be fully rested ahead of Christmas Day when festive cheer can leave the social battery drained.
Of course a raucous crowd is always helpful for the players and the overall morale of a club, but perhaps Liverpool fans are luring opposition supporters into a false sense of security about how good the Anfield atmosphere is, did Klopp consider that before launching into his tirade?
If Liverpool fans want to enjoy their matches in silence, then let them be! Would The Beatles have been so adored if 57,000 Scousers screaming ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at them? Admittedly Anfield will be quiet, but Klopp shouldn't urge the fans to support the team too hard…
PLAY LORD PING
Lord Ping is an online casino with over 3000 online slots and live casino table games.
LORD PING, THE ONLINE CASINO FOR OPINIONATED PLAYERS!
Disclaimer: Opinion content is provided by experienced journalists and are not the views of Lord Ping
