After their 1-0 loss to Southampton FC on Monday night, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp threw in a not-so-subtle sideswipe at arch-rivals Manchester United, ahead of their massive fixture at Anfield on Jan. 17.
Klopp slammed of referee Andre Mariner, over some calls he found very quesitonable, and in the process threw some shade thrown at the side that is level on points with them at the top of table right now. (You can read those comments at this link)
It appears Klopp is going to escape punishment from the FA for his digs at the officiating, but he didn’t avert a clap back from his fellow big six club boss. Ahead of the Manchester Derby EFL Cup semi-final tonight, (preview material at this link) Solskjaer returned fire, saying:
“I donโt count how many penalties they [Liverpool and Spurs] have, so if they want to spend time on worrying about when we get fouled in the box, I donโt spend time on that.โ
Solskjaer, most would agree, seems like a pretty nice guy, and he’s formal/by the book most of the time when it comes to his public commentary. So for him, those remarks are equivalent to a “harsh burn” from an average person.
Early on in 2021, the covid-19 pandemic and how it could affect the Premier League season is the top story. The wide open title race is secondary, and a fun manager feud between the top two contenders might just be a fun sideshow that we could all use right now.
United have a game in hand on Liverpool right now and if they get a result in that game (Jan. 12 vs Burnley) they’ll head to the northwest England giant club derby ahead of the reigning champions. A little war of words between the two bosses makes an already exciting match that much more special.
Paul M. Banks runsย The Sports Bank, partnered withย News Now.ย Banks, the author ofย ย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,โ has regularly appeared inย WGN,ย Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Tribuneย andย SB Nation.ย Follow himย onย Twitterย andย Instagram.
