Jurgen Klopp’s Righteous Indignation is Beginning to Wear Thin

by
22nd September 2021

There was a moment in Liverpool’s recent game against Leeds United at Elland Road that will prevail with punters for many months to come. It happened moments after Pascal Struijk had been sent off for a tackle on Harvey Elliott that was deemed to be a red card by referee Craig Pawson. Five minutes before that, Pawson had waved away Liverpool’s protests and gestured for play to carry on, only to be overwhelmed by the sight of a writhing Elliott who, understandably, was in a great deal of discomfort.

It was undoubtedly an emotional response by Pawson and it didn’t help that Jurgen Klopp left his technical area and marched onto the field to have a word with him whilst he was deciding what to do. It’s during times like these that football fans hope professionalism from all involved will counter any feelings of sentimentality. Regrettably, that wasn’t to be the case in West Yorkshire and seconds later a shell-shocked Pawson sent Struijk on his way; Klopp’s protests had paid off.


Only, the 22-year-old Belgian didn’t leave the field immediately and insisted on waiting by the injured Elliott’s side, all the while speaking to him with a hand on his shoulder as he received oxygen on the field. It was clear to everyone in the stadium that a terrible accident had taken place and that the guilty offender, Struijk, did not mean for this to happen.

As Struijk eventually rose to his feet to make his way down the tunnel, Virgil van Dijk came over to put a consoling arm around his countryman to let him know that accidents do happen. It was perhaps the most telling gesture of the afternoon given that the towering Liverpool centre-back had spent most of last season out, after being injured by Jordan Pickford in the Merseyside derby.

Indeed, if Van Dijk could show such admirable grace and understanding at such a time, then anyone in the stadium could. Now, to what happened next and the aforementioned unforgettable incident. As Struijk made his way past the Liverpool bench to leave the field, Klopp tore into him and sent him on his way with a foul-mouthed stream of expletives. To say it was a disappointing reaction from the Liverpool boss would be an understatement of unforgivable proportions given how genuinely contrite Sruijk had been.

It’s hard to understand where this torrent of anger is coming from when you consider how well Klopp’s team is playing as they sit jointly top the Premier League standings. Indeed, Liverpool are currently at odds of a mere 7/2 in the Premier League outright betting markets to win the title, which makes you wonder why Klopp is prone to these outbursts, which on closer inspection, don’t hold much water.

 

But then again it was just another in the long line of incidents where Klopp has let his emotions get the better of him. Back in November 2020, Klopp had a furious row with BT sports presenter Des Kelly over the perceived unfair scheduling of Liverpool’s game.

Then in August 2021, the Liverpool boss accused Burnley of mirroring the WWE with wrestling antics following weeks of repeatedly criticizing how the game is being refereed this season. Klopp’s voice is a lone one in this respect when you consider how the approach this season has breathed life back into an open contest.

 

Perhaps most revealing was Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher’s comments where he disagreed with Klopp’s assessment of the referees getting it wrong. The 43-year-old said: “I have loved the first couple of weekends of Premier League football and the way the referees have handled it and the way the game is flowing.”

 

It’s impossible to ignore Carragher’s insights given how strongly affiliated he is to Liverpool. Perhaps it was a gentle reminder from a club legend that Klopp will find the answers to his questions should he look inwards, and not at the referees, Kelly, Struijk, or indeed anyone else.

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