'Give your ticket to somebody else': Klopp slams Anfield fans
If Liverpool supporters aren’t going to rally behind the team in Saturday’s match against Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp said they should just give their tickets away. Liverpool breezed into the Carabao Cup Semi-Finals on Wednesday with a 5-1 hammering of West Ham. However, the Reds boss was disappointed with the Anfield atmosphere.
When the Reds failed to finish in the top four last season, they quickly regained their championship hopes this year, thanks in large part to their dominant home record. The Anfield crowd’s efforts in the match against West Ham were unimpressive, however, to Klopp.
He is begging the supporters to bring their A-game for this weekend’s massive match. After last weekend’s excruciating Premier League tie with Manchester United, the German said the fans were uninspiring.
With that in mind, he has higher expectations for the next top-of-the-table match against Arsenal.
Klopp slams Anfield crowd during West Ham game
Dominik Szoboszlai scored a breathtaking goal to put his team up 1-0 at half-time. Still, the crowd was not reacting adequately to the performance. A portion of the Main Stand became irater due to many squandered opportunities. Klopp made gestures towards them throughout the first half.
After extending an apologetic hand, the German shook his head and went away. After scoring twice in the second half via Curtis Jones and once through Mohamed Salah, Liverpool cruised to a comfortable victory against the Hammers.
During his press conference, Klopp stated his feelings about the Anfield crowd.
“I thought in the first half when the boys played really exceptionally, I was not overly happy with the atmosphere behind me. I asked people ‘what do you want?’ We changed a lot of things, and we dominated West Ham like crazy and missed chances.
“If I was in the stands I would be on my toes, 1,000 percent. I don’t know if the Man United game was that bad that we have to say sorry we didn’t smash them.
“If it is too much football in December, if you are not in the right shape, give your ticket to somebody else. It was just not the excitement I felt. There were so many good performances, but we were only 1-0 up.”
Klopp readies for Arsenal’s trip to the Etihad
On Saturday, the Premier League’s top two teams will meet in a thrilling matchup. Liverpool welcomes Arsenal to its stadium. Therefore, the former Borussia Dortmund manager spared no effort in his efforts to energize supporters.
“We need Anfield on Saturday. Arsenal didn’t play this week,” he added.
“They’ve prepared for this game and anyone who knows anything about them knows they will be prepared. So, we need Anfield on their toes from the first second, without me having an argument with the opposition coach.”
Earlier this week, in home matches against Manchester United and West Ham, the vibe was gloomy. The victory against West Ham on Wednesday followed Liverpool’s weekend 0-0 tie with Manchester United. There were just over 72 hours between games.
Klopp’s players may move up to first place in the league again with a victory against Arsenal.
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