Jurgen Klopp has dismissed any notion his team is arrogant after Frank Lampard’s warning and has told his Chelsea counterpart he needs to learn to not talk about whatever happens on the touchline postmatch.
Lampard was critical of Liverpool’s touchline conduct in their midweek Premier League match, which Liverpool won 5-3 at Anfield. The Chelsea boss later clarified he was not annoyed with Klopp’s conduct, but with the “people behind the bench.”
He warned Liverpool “don’t get too arrogant” with their success postmatch. And speaking Friday, when Klopp was asked about Lampard’s warning, he gave his take on Lampard’s criticism and said the Chelsea manager needs to learn when to stop talking about what happened on the field.
“We are not arrogant. Frank was in a competitive mood, I respect that a lot,” Klopp said. “From my point of view, in this situation [mid-match] you can say pretty much what you want… he came here to win the game, or get a point to help with Champions League qualification and I respect that.
“What he has to learn is to finish it with the last whistle and he didn’t do that. Speaking afterwards about it, is not OK. Frank has to learn this, he has a lot of time to learn as he’s a young coach, but he has to learn this.
“We are not arrogant, we are pretty much the opposite. Final whistle, close the book and he didn’t do that and that’s what I don’t like.”
Klopp clarified his view, adding that he would not have spoken about Lampard, had he not been asked about the Chelsea boss’ postmatch comments in Friday’s news conference teeing up Sunday’s match against Newcastle.
“As he spoke afterwards, it makes sense to speak about what I mean,” Klopp added.
The Liverpool manager was speaking on the day his captain Jordan Henderson was named Football Writers’ Association’s Footballer of the Year.
And he paid tribute to Henderson, saying: “Resilience made him the player he is now. Talent or attitude? It’s a mix and Henderson is the perfect answer to that. If you want to have a guy who has fought his way through to become one of the best players in the league and this year everybody acknowledged that. I am really proud of him and he’s an exceptional captain.”