Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says he 'didn't like' Spurs' defensive tactics during their 1-1 draw at Anfield
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Published 08/05/2022 at 09:22 GMT
Liverpool lost crucial ground to Manchester City in the Premier League title race after their 1-1 draw with Spurs at Anfield, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp rounding on Antonio Conte's side's defensive tactics following the encounter. Klopp said he thought Spurs "should do more for the game" and that he "didn't like" what he had seen.
Klopp ‘can’t see Man City dropping points’ after Liverpool are held by Spurs
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hit out at Spurs' tactics following the two sides' 1-1 draw at Anfield that derailed the Reds' title hopes.
Klopp - who levelled a similar accusation at Atletico Madrid in 2020 - said he "doesn't like" the style of football Antonio Conte's men put forward on Saturday night and urged them to contribute more to the spectacle.
He also suggested that the two sides' respective fixture load played a part in the result, and that - in his view - it highlighted why Liverpool's push for an unprecedented quadruple this term has historically been so difficult to achieve.
Klopp, who saw Luis Diaz cancel out Heung-min Son's second-half opener, said: “I'm sorry I'm the wrong person for that [defensive football], I don't like this kind of football. But that's my personal problem.
“I think they [Spurs] are world-class, and I think they should do more for the game. I think the game against us they had 36, 38 per cent possession [35% was the reported figure].
“But it's my problem. I cannot coach it. So that's why I cannot do it. So yes, world-class players block all the balls, really difficult. Fine, whatever. fine, absolutely fine. I just can't.
"I respect everything they do, but it's not me.
Harry Kane and Son were completely rested, that is why it [the quadruple] is so hard.
"That is why it is so unlikely, there is a reason nobody has done it in this country.
"I would love to sit here and say [Manchester] City will drop points but I can’t see it. I wish I would think differently about it but I can’t see it. But we will see what happens."
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Conte 'disappointed' for Spurs missed chance against Liverpool but says 'result was fair'
Spurs boss Conte revealed he had focussed on his team's defensive rigour in the lead-up to the game, and hinted that to set up a more expansive team would take time.
He said: "I asked my players to be good defensively and we didn’t concede any chances to Liverpool and conceded a goal with a deflection.
"At the same time I asked our players to play with the ball and we couldn’t, Liverpool pressed as they do in every game. But I think the draw was fair.
“Jurgen has done a fantastic job, in seven years they have won a lot and he has created a monster in a good way. He has to be satisfied. But to do that you need the time.
“In November [when Conte took over] not many people thought Tottenham would be competing for a place in the Champions League.”
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