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Jurgen Klopp names Tottenham star he 'dislikes' as Liverpool boss gets savage
Jurgen Klopp has admitted he 'dislikes' one Tottenham player after he denied Liverpool success.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has jokingly revealed he ‘dislikes’ James Maddison after the Tottenham star failed to play his part in helping the Reds win the Premier League. Maddison, who was playing for Leicester at the time, was too slow to block Vincent Kompany’s piledriver that all but won Manchester City the league in 2019.
Kompany’s long-range strike meant City only needed to win at Brighton on the final day of the season to beat Liverpool to the title. It came in a tight and nervy game for City against Leicester, who spurned several opportunities to take points.
Klopp has revealed that he watched the game on his sofa and ended up disliking Maddison for his failure to prevent Kompany’s shot. The German was also unhappy with his Liverpool predecessor Brendan Rodgers, who had refused to take off the tired midfielder.
“The moment where Kompany scored. I’m really happy I didn’t get a stroke in that moment, because that’s how it must feel,” Klopp told Redmen TV. “I was laying on the sofa going, ‘Maddison! Maddison, block it! Close him down!”
Klopp gestured to emphasise the shot being taken and added: “And since then I don’t like Maddison! And I was angry with Brendan that day because [Maddison] was tired and should have been taken off.
“Leicester had played really good in the first half. After that, they should have scored. It’s just a personal thing, of course, I have no problem with him. I saw him again last weekend.”
Klopp also poked fun at Rio Ferdinand over comments made by the former Manchester United defender a year later. With Liverpool leading the Premier League when the country entered a lockdown period due to Covid, Ferdinand quipped that the league should be voided.
“Rio Ferdinand I think said it, ‘I think you should nil and void the league’,” Klopp said.
“I forgot that actually that he was [the one who said that] because I gave him an interview only recently… it was not a good interview anyway!”
Klopp will manage Liverpool for the final time when the Reds host Wolves at Anfield on Sunday. In what will be an emotional afternoon, the 56-year-old will say goodbye to the home crowd after nine years in charge.