The Reds boss couldn’t help but chuckle
Jurgen Klopp has played down Pep Guardiola’s comments about Liverpool and suggested that they were said in the heat of the moment – after he enjoyed a little laugh about them, that is.
Manchester City took a three point lead at the top of the Premier League table after Guardiola’s men thrashed Newcastle United on Sunday, significantly boosting their goal difference in the process.
Guardiola claimed ‘everyone in this country supports Liverpool’
After the match, the City boss aimed a jibe at the club’s title rivals after suggesting that ‘everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone’.
The Spaniard also mentioned the fact that the Reds have only won one Premier League title in the last three decades.
"Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone… Our destiny is in our hands, this is important."
Pep wasn’t holding back 😳pic.twitter.com/OI2A3DDzU7
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) May 8, 2022
However, Liverpool boss Klopp – who criticised Tottenham’s tactics after the two side’s 1-1 draw at Anfield – insisted that managers often get carried away in the aftermath of a match.
Guardiola’s quotes were read out to the German coach during his pre-Aston Villa press conference, and the 54-year-old couldn’t help but laugh about what had been said.
Jürgen Klopp’s reaction to Pep Guardiola saying:
🗣 "The people want Liverpool to win more than us. It's not an issue. It's normal. Maybe they have more supporters all around the world, in England maybe more support Liverpool than us.”
🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/utoZrKlbNY
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) May 9, 2022
When he was asked about what he made of the former Barcelona manager’s comments, Klopp disagreed with the claim that ‘everyone in the country is supporting Liverpool’.
Klopp’s response to Pep’s assertion that everyone wants Liverpool to win the league: “It’s not the feeling I get when we go to other places and play there. It’s the opposite.”
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) May 9, 2022
He said: “I live in Liverpool so yes, here, a lot of people want us to win the league, that’s true!
“But even here it’s probably only 50 per cent, because the other guys [Everton] were involved in another fight, at least until yesterday.
“Look, as managers – and I had this experience only recently after a game – we are all obviously, how can I say this, we are massively influenced by the game, by the situation and stuff like this.
“So I said – and would I say it again? No – but I said after the game [against Spurs] that they play like they play and are still only fifth. And it felt good in that moment but it was anyway wrong.
“But it was just my feeling in that moment, and I couldn’t respect Antonio [Conte] more and what he’s doing and my god how he organises teams and all these kinds of things.
Klopp also suggested that City’s Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid would be ‘difficult to take’ – worsened by the fact that the Reds progressed to the final.
“But after a game like that… I don’t know exactly what kind of situation Pep was in, but after getting knocked out of the Champions League, that’s already difficult enough to take, but then of course Liverpool made it to the final,” the German added.
“So of course you have these kind of things, ‘They played Villarreal and we played Real’ and all these kind of things, and then you say what you say.
“And he’s right, on top of it. I was right with fifth place and Tottenham still, and he was right that we’ve won the Premier League only once.
“I’ve no idea if the whole country is supporting us, that I don’t know. It’s not the feeling I get actually when we go to other places and play there, it’s actually the opposite! But maybe he knows more about that than me.”
Liverpool travel to Aston Villa on Tuesday night, while Guardiola’s side face-off against Wolves on Wednesday.
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