Jurgen Klopp says he ‘was close’ to singing a damning German song at his Liverpool players in the Merseyside derby.
Liverpool struggled badly against Everton in midweek – their worst performance against the neighbours of Jurgen Klopp’s tenure. Not sure anyone could argue with that.
It was the Reds’ first defeat to Everton since 2010 and even worse, one in which they deserved to lose. Liverpool didn’t get any sort of rhythm in the game, lacked intensity, and their finishing was simply awful.
Klopp himself wasn’t exactly impressed. He told reporters this week that he ‘was close’ to singing a German song at his players as he chased more fight from them.
“The game was just horrible to watch,” said Klopp, per the Liverpool Echo. “In Germany when the crowd is not happy with the team and they think they are not fighting enough they sing a song: ‘Wir wollen euch kampfen sehen’ – that translates into ‘we want to see you fight.’
“I was close to singing that myself. Never has one of my teams heard that ever. Never. I never heard them say my team didn’t fight because my team [always] went for it. And now…wow, how can that happen?
“And again, easy question, who could be responsible for it? I don’t put myself into the ground That is how I understand the job. And that is what I try to do all the time. Sometimes it works out and this time for whatever reason it didn’t but I will try it again.”
It was a shocking performance and one that soured the entire season for many. Liverpool weren’t just off-it, they were inferior to Everton. When was the last time that happened?
There are possible excuses for it, of course. Klopp’s exit has created a unique atmosphere, the squad has played so much football this season, and Liverpool went into it in poor form.
Only, the Reds haven’t needed excuses for a derby performance in a decade. That’s the standout thing here, and it’s one that is a worrying sign.
