Jurgen Klopp Is Right That Liverpool Deserve a Replay, but Wrong to Ask for One
By Joshua Davis
Liverpool were robbed of a draw, or arguably a win, in their domestic fixture against Tottenham over the weekend. Head coach Jurgen Klopp has since spoken out against the controversial VAR call which denied his team a crucial goal in the tie. With the loss to Spurs denting their Premier League title hopes, it only seems right that the German would want a replay. He should know better than to ask.
The fact of the matter is that the officials for the match messed up. They made the wrong call. An apology was offered by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PMGOL).
Liverpool accepted it and now it is time to move on. Harsh? Not really. Mistakes happen even at the highest levels. Klopp’s request for a replay does not cast him or the Reds in the best light.
What should be avoided, though, is the alleged fine the Merseyeside outfit face from the Premier League for their harsh comments following the officiating disaster. Liverpool could bear a yet-to-be-specified punishment should the review not come out in their favor.
This could be what helped spark the former Champions League winner to not mince his words.
After many years in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, Klopp came to England without the etiquette most coaches do. He speaks his mind and does not apologize for it.
Having played across all of the most prestigious competitions in club football, “The Normal One” is aware that replays never take place. Knowledge that should have kept him silent instead was pushed away.
The bright side; these comments show that Klopp is invested in this campaign and ready to take Liverpool back to the highest levels of European football.
The Reds will face several challenges in the English top flight and their Europa League run, but nothing they cannot handle with skill and the German’s brilliant tactical expertise.
Klopp might have asked for the impossible, but now he will seek to do the impossible. This squad clearly seems demoralized from the unfair calls on the pitch and are a danger to those that now stand in their way.
Recently the Reds have not threatened for trophies and glory, but a complete team of goal-scorers and defenders is not what Pep Guardiola or the other elite coaches in Europe want to see.