Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp bristles at journalist's 'waste of time' question over rotation ahead of Arsenal clash
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Updated 08/04/2023 at 09:47 GMT
Jurgen Klopp branded a reporter's question about his motivations for rotating his players a "waste of time" in the press conference ahead of Liverpool's match against Arsenal. The Reds are far from title contenders this season, but their recent run of fixtures may well influence where the trophy ends up. Having been thrashed by Manchester City last weekend, they now host the league leaders.
Klopp feels Liverpool need to make ‘smart changes’ in order to bounce back to their best
Jurgen Klopp is no stranger to a spicy moment in a press conference, and things got a little heated when he was asked about his motivations for rotating his squad against Chelsea.
Klopp had made six changes from the XI that was soundly beaten by Manchester City last weekend for the midweek clash, and one reporter posed a seemingly innocuous question; they asked whether it was form or fitness that had been the deciding factor.
The Reds boss gave a surprisingly sharp response.
He said: "We had a game against City, which is an influence physically and performance-wise. It is both. How can you expect I give you an answer and say 'two were because of that and four were because of that.' That is a real waste of time."
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Klopp feels Liverpool need to make ‘smart changes’ in order to bounce back to their best
This is far from the first example of the Liverpool manager showing his frustration in a press conference.
In 2018, Klopp responded to a question about Liverpool's defensive issues by saying "I'm really tired of talking about it, to be honest. It doesn't help. We have to be better and that's how it is."
After a poor performance against Manchester City in 2020, Klopp was asked about Liverpool's display, to which he responded "are you really interested in our game? Or are you just asking a question because you have to?"
Asked about Liverpool's potential transfer targets in 2021, Klopp said "I'm sorry, I cannot answer this question. It's just a waste of time, to be honest."
On this latest occasion, Klopp was speaking to the press ahead of Liverpool's Premier League meeting with leaders Arsenal on Sunday.
Liverpool have been heavily involved in title races for most of Klopp's time at the club, and while they are not contenders this season, they could yet have a major influence on who ultimately is crowned champion.
Having faced and been beaten soundly by Manchester City last weekend, Liverpool now host the other, leading contender for the title in Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.
The Gunners travel to Liverpool with an eight point lead over City that could be reduced to five if City beat 20th placed Southampton today.
Pep Guardiola's champions also have a game in hand, meaning that a Liverpool victory could throw open the title race.
In their first encounter this season -back in October - Liverpool suffered a 3-2 defeat against Arsenal, but in their last six home league matches against the London club, the Reds have emerged victorious, scoring a minimum of three goals in each of those games.
The Reds are on a wretched run of form though, having been dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid and lost to Bournemouth and City before the dull draw against the Blues.
Their stunning 7-0 win over Manchester United back in March shows that the Reds remain capable of threatening teams at the top of the table and will serve as a warning to Arteta's Gunners.
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