December 21 – Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told any supporter “not in the right shape” for Saturday’s top-of-the-table Premier League encounter with leaders Arsenal to give their ticket to someone else as the Anfield crowd disappointed again last night.
Klopp, whose team trails the Gunners by a single point, expressed dissatisfaction with the atmosphere at Anfield during Wednesday’s 5-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final triumph against West Ham.
Despite securing their joint-largest win of the season and progressing to the two-legged semi-final encounter with Fulham, Klopp felt that the stadium’s ambiance lacked energy.
This sentiment came despite scoring goals from Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and Curtis Jones, who netted twice. The match marked the second occasion of a 57,000-strong crowd following the inauguration of the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand.
After Sunday’s goalless draw with a heavily rotated Manchester United, which Liverpool were comfortably favourites to win, television pundit and ex-United defender Gary Neville said: “The atmosphere was the worst I’ve seen at Anfield ever.
“I’ve always been complimentary of Liverpool fans. It’s the biggest crowd they’ve had here in 60 or 70 years but it’s the quietest crowd I’ve seen in this game.”
Agreeing with the former United man, Klopp spoke after the West Ham victory: “In the first half, when the boys played exceptionally, I was not overly happy with the atmosphere behind me,” he said.
“I asked people: ‘What do they 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%.
“I don’t know if the Man United game was that bad that we have to say sorry we didn’t smash them?”
Klopp’s Liverpool turn their attention to a clash-of-the-titans affair on Saturday evening as Liverpool host league leaders Arsenal in a six-pointer for the title race. Both sides will be looking to capitalise on Manchester City’s absence at the Club World Cup and extend their lead over the reigning champions.
“We need Anfield on Saturday,” Klopp said.
“Arsenal didn’t play this week. 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.
“If it is too much football in December, if you are not in the right shape, give your ticket to somebody else.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1714652661labto1714652661ofdlr1714652661owedi1714652661sni@g1714652661niwe.1714652661yrrah1714652661