Jurgen Klopp accused Amazon Prime Video presenter Marcus Buckland of being “ignorant” after he made a joke about Liverpool’s next game being on Saturday lunchtime.
Klopp saw his side win 2-0 at bottom club Sheffield United thanks to goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai at Bramall Lane.
They return to action in less than 72 hours against Crystal Palace for a 12.30pm kick-off, which is one of the German’s biggest bugbears when his side have played on the prior Wednesday night.
In a pitchside interview after the game Buckland joked that the Palace game was being played in Klopp’s “favourite kick-off time” but the Liverpool boss did not take it well.
Interrupting, Klopp said: “That’s really brave to make a joke about that.
“We go home, I don’t know exactly what time we will get home, we will arrive, maybe 1am-2am tonight and then play again. We have two sessions.
“It is fine to recover and then we go again. Crystal Palace play tonight as well so it is really fine.
“I realise you don’t understand it as well and you work in football so why should I explain it again. If you make a joke out of that you are ignorant.”
Finished like a striker! 🤩
Virgil van Dijk scores his first @LFC goal since March and the Reds lead Sheff Utd!#PLonPrime #SHULIV pic.twitter.com/nwDHtHWswu
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 6, 2023
When Buckland said he was not meaning to be disrespectful, Klopp added: “You were already.
“All good, you can say what you want, I cannot say what I want because that would be really different.”
The victory at Bramall Lane, which was their eighth game unbeaten, saw them close the gap to leaders Arsenal to just two points, with Manchester City losing at Aston Villa.
City are a further four points behind, but Klopp says it would be “the biggest joke in the history of football” to write Pep Guardiola’s team off.
“If someone writes City off that would be the biggest joke in the history of football, that makes no sense,” he said. “Arsenal are fighting, the next game starts from 0-0.
“I have no clue where it (the title) is going to end up.
“It is so difficult and intense with all the games coming up. Ask me again in April.”
Klopp also confirmed that defender Joel Matip has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament after suffering an injury in Sunday’s win over Fulham.
He said: “It’s an ACL, ruptured, so that’s what I unfortunately expected from, that’s what it looked like. Very unfortunate, but that’s it.”
Liverpool’s victory ensured Chris Wilder’s Bramall Lane homecoming was ruined in his first match back following Tuesday’s sacking of Paul Heckingbottom.
Wilder, who guided the club from League One to ninth in the Premier League in his first spell, was sacked in March 2021 and inherits a side seemingly on a fast-track back to the Championship.
The 56-year-old was given a hero’s welcome ahead of kick-off.
“It will stay with me forever that, I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart,” he said.
“It has been a long time away. Some part of the support might have thought it was a mistake coming back but I have got to earn that trust back.
“What Prince Abdullah did a couple of days ago, saying I was the best man for the job, I really appreciate that. I do believe I am the best man for the job but I have to go and prove it. I still think there is still plenty of life in me yet.
“I enjoyed watching a Sheffield United performance tonight. The reception they gave me was incredible.”
By Jonathan Veal, PA
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