Jurgen Klopp hasn’t all the time had the very best of relationships with Premier League referees, however one identify tends to resurface greater than most.
The usual of officiating in England has come beneath hearth at numerous factors in current instances, with the Liverpool boss by no means shy in making his emotions recognized when choices go in opposition to his facet.
Paul Tierney has felt the brunt of that greater than most, however largely as a result of he has made a disproportionate variety of controversial calls on the expense of the Reds.
Regardless of coming away with a 2-0 victory, the Boxing Day conflict with Burnley noticed the referee lose much more favour with Liverpool followers after he disallowed two additional targets scored by Harvey Elliott and Cody Gakpo.
Right here’s a have a look at a few of Klopp’s most memorable traces when discussing an official he has loads of earlier with!
“I’ve no issues with any referees, solely you”
Maybe Klopp’s most well-known Tierney quote got here after an action-packed 2-2 draw away to Tottenham again in December 2021, when he advised Tierney: “I’ve no issues with any referees, solely you.”
It got here after the Reds missed out on what would have been an important three factors in North London, when Tierney despatched Andy Robertson off for a deal with that seemed equally, if not much less harmful, than a Harry Kane problem in the identical contest.
That was removed from the primary time the 2 had clashed, nonetheless, with the Liverpool boss advised to “recover from it” by Tierney after the referee failed to present a free-kick for a foul on Gini Wijnaldum within the title-winning season of 2019/20.
“What he mentioned to me was not okay”
There have been sufficient incidents between the 2 for Klopp to affectionately, let’s consider, give the nickname of “Mr. Tierney” to his favorite Premier League official.
Talking after he was booked for extreme celebration throughout final season’s dramatic 4-3 win over Tottenham, Klopp was sad with feedback despatched in his route by the official, the extent of which he wasn’t prepared to disclose on the time.
“What he mentioned to me was not okay,” had been the supervisor’s phrases after the sport.
“We now have to ask Mr. Tierney what’s going on.”
Klopp later insisted that that dialog had been one thing of a misunderstanding, however that doesn’t look to have helped clean issues over.
“We had our points”
The supervisor was extra pragmatic in his method to reacting to Robertson being elbowed by Tierney’s assistant Constantine Hatzidakis throughout Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal earlier this yr.
The German stored himself out of hassle by merely saying: “I believe there are some issues we might discuss however they aren’t actually useful, and that’s why I would like to not discuss it.
“However we had our points with some referees.”
Frosty relationship
The beginning of the feud dates again to 2017, when Dominic Solanke was unlucky to be denied a purpose by offside in a choice which Klopp described as “unfortunate.”
Tierney additionally didn’t award a penalty for a blatant foul on Sadio Mane in opposition to Newcastle again in 2020, in addition to prematurely blowing the whistle for half time whereas the Senegalese ahead was via on purpose in opposition to Man United the next month.
The pair are unlikely to see eye to eye any time quickly, however Tierney’s performances have seen him not too long ago obtain a uncommon feat in being namechecked in a music on the Kop.
Let’s hope we don’t see a lot of him between now and Could!
