‘Please, they cannot do that…’ Klopp’s plea to Mike Dean

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Jurgen Klopp has told the media that he had no time for Burnley’s reckless tackling last night.

The home side was using the wet pitch to slide into tackles, which while appreciated by the Turf Moor crowd, was putting Liverpool’s players at serious risk of injury.

In fact, Joe Gomez was stretchered off after a collision and both Naby Keita and Alberto Moreno were scythed down nastily.

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“I said to the referee after the first sliding tackle [made] over six or seven yards, when he got the ball and everyone liked it: ‘Please, tell them they cannot do that'”, Klopp said, reported by BBC Sport.

“It wasn’t a foul but they cannot do that. It’s like bowling because then four or five times it happened. Joe is injured and probably not only a little bit.

“Aggression is a part of football but be careful. Sliding over six or seven yards: these times are over. Usually someone will not let you do that.

“We all want to win and you can choose different ways but someone needs to say: ‘Stop doing that’. Make two more steps and then you are in a normal challenge.

“Don’t go five yards before you see the player when the grass is wet. It’s unlucky what happened to Joe but the referees have to make sure it doesn’t happen consistently. That’s not how it should be.”

To be honest, we’re just grateful not more players picked up injuries as the way Burley were playing, it looked like more than one Red would limp off.

We now just have to wait on the results of Gomez’s scan with baited breath, as the Englishman has been one of the best defenders in the country this term when deployed at centre-half.

If his ankle injury is serious, then one of Dejan Lovren or Joel Matip will need to step up and do a job alongside Virgil van Dijk.

We think Lovren will be given the first opportunity, although Matip did quite well last night v Burnley.

Providing van Dijk is marshalling them, Liverpool should be ok.

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