Tuchel: Klopp only talking about PSG antics to deflect from how bad Liverpool were

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PSG boss Thomas Tuchel has hit back at Jurgen Klopp, who complained about the conduct of Liverpool’s opponents last night.

The French won 2-1 and were the better team on the night, but their on-field conduct and the manner in which they dived, feigned injury and time-wasted was fairly reprehensible.

Klopp directed anger at the both the referee for allowing it and Neymar in his post match interview, but Tuchel thinks his German counterpart is making a mountain out of a molehill.

“I did not feel like it was such a big issue. We had five minutes overtime, we suffered a lot of fouls,” he told a news conference, cited by Goal.

“You don’t have to do fouls if you’re one goal down and you do 10 fouls in five minutes.

“You think it’s the other way around in a crucial match like that? I’ve never experienced it the other way around that the team goes to hurry that everyone has the chance to make an equaliser.

“I don’t even want to talk about it because for me it’s not a subject.

“When I lose big games I am angry and I sometimes talk about stuff just to bring the attention to something else and away from my team.

“I do this also but it’s not my issue. You’ll have to ask Jurgen for that and I heard he has his opinion to that and that’s fine. I’m talking about the game.”

Tuchel is right in that there are undeniably footballing issues that are now more important in terms of analysis for Liverpool – but there’s nothing wrong with an emotional reaction after a game when PSG have just behaved like that.

Liverpool’s midfield was awful and in no way can James Milner and Jordan Henderson start alongside each other in big games anymore – it simply doesn’t work. Neither can negate a press or create anything going forward.

Roberto Firmino is also enduring a poor season, which is hurting us and limiting Mo Salah and Sadio Mane either side of him.

Against Everton on Sunday, we need to bounce back. Hopefully Klopp will revert to a 4-2-3-1 and use Xherdan Shaqiri from the outset – hopefully with either Fabinho or Naby Keita in a midfield two.

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