We’re all gearing up for the big ine in PUC tonight. Balbec is even in town.
Klopp refusing to answer questions from the Athletic in the press conference today- what’s story there?
You’d expect, given the current state of affairs that he’s about to check into a clinic somewhere. I’d say he’s contemplating joining a monastery or some obscure order of monks.
He’ll be getting the dreaded full backing of the board soon I’d imagine
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How did this go?
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Tough day for the @limerickscousers
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A grand auld session
My life is falling apart
Harry maguire coulda stopped that
Klopp gone?
When you walk… Through a storm…
Jürgen Klopp’s grin cannot hide his growing sense of frustration
Martin Samuel
Saturday February 04 2023, 8.30pm GMT, The Sunday Times
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How to describe the face of Jürgen Klopp at Molineux, pretty much from the fifth minute, when Wolverhampton Wanderers first scored?
It was like that of Harold Shand, the gangster played by Bob Hoskins, in the final scene of The Long Good Friday. Helpless in the back of a speeding car, kidnapped by IRA assassins and on his way to certain death, every mistake, every false step, can be seen in the twitches around his mouth and eyes, the bared teeth, the frozen reflective smile.
Klopp looked like that for most of this match. Try as he might, he can’t hide those feelings. We spoke about it in his office, once. The way he grits his teeth, that slightly manic half-grin. “I don’t like it, but I have to accept it,” he said. “I cannot change my face in this situation. People want me to. They tell me, ‘Jürgen, you have to, it’s not good.’ I try, but it doesn’t work. If I see a little baby I make the same face, ‘Oh come here, how cute you are…’ It’s not nice, I know.”
Klopp stood on the touchline yesterday as if replaying every moment of regret. The money spent on forwards, as the midfield aged and languished; another unfortunate run of injuries; the unhelpful timing of Fenway Sports Group’s announcement that the club could be sold. It is all conspiring against him now. Klopp needs to go again to make Liverpool competitive, but recruitment will be difficult in the present circumstances. Increasingly, it looks as if Liverpool could be without European football next season and a Champions League revenue stream is close to essential. Equally, what kind of owners do FSG want to be? Will they improve the squad to protect their asset, or hope the name and reputation of Liverpool does that without significant further spending?
Replacing Manchester City as the bogeymen around Anfield are Chelsea, whose lavish outlay in the transfer window caused another of those quizzical press conferences, in which Klopp asks how it can be done, again with a broad smile suggesting anything but cheer. Yet red and blue are not greatly dissimilar. Liverpool are owned by American venture capitalists, Chelsea are owned by American venture capitalists. It simply appears that Chelsea’s owners have a different way of doing venture capitalism. Mainly the venture part.
And that must be frustrating as hell for Klopp when he sees Graham Potter get the level of investment that would transform his team. Yesterday his players were less competitive than Wolves, shorter on confidence. Joël Matip put through his own net early because he dithered and never recovered from that error. Wolves’ midfield wanted it more, which never used to be a criticism that could be aimed at Klopp’s Liverpool.
At the end the manager appeared to be shaking hands with more opposition players than his own, also a rare sight. He has been accused of showing too much loyalty, but this group has deserved his loyalty. Increasingly, though, he is hinting at major change being needed. Yet if FSG are selling, how committed will they be to expensive renewal?
Klopp appeared powerless as Wolves dominated throughout
ANDREW YATES/SPORTIMAGE/ALAMY
Jude Bellingham was a target, but will he come to a club without Champions League football — barring returning as holders, of course — or even without any European competition at all? Liverpool should be in the mix for Declan Rice too, but again he is stipulating a top-four destination. It was interesting that the one player Klopp excepted from criticism yesterday was Stefan Bajcetic, the Spanish teenager promoted from the under-21 team this season. Klopp is a brilliant manager, he knows the freshness that is needed to restore his team to contention. He will also know that Liverpool have conceded three goals in each of their past three league games away, and that this is the worst away run since losing four league games straight between February 11 and April 1, 2012 — the season that ended Kenny Dalglish’s second spell as manager.
“You’re getting sacked in the morning,” chorused the home fans, and there is no chance of that. Yet, without the impetus to rebuild, Klopp remains on Shand’s fast ride to nowhere. It explains the face.
No good sailer came from calm seas.
KLOPP IN
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Maybe Coach Klopp should apologise to the Prince of Wales for condoning he booing of him at the FA Cup Final by yob Liverpool ‘supporters’. That might bring about a change of luck. From that day on, Liverpool have gone into a complete tailspin.
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He really disgraced himself that day wearing a tracksuit you’d see on a footix in the rathoath inn to the fa cup final.
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Norbert is a trend setter.
