Jurgen Klopp has stood in front of young striker Rhian Brewster to take any criticism that may be headed his way after missing a costly penalty in the Community Shield.
The 20-year-old was brought on with a couple of minutes to go for midfielder Gini Wijnaldum, so he could take one of the spot-kicks in the shootout.
There has been an outpouring of support for the starlet on social media, with loads of Liverpool fans backing the striker and telling him to keep his head up.
MORE: Liverpool fans all say the same thing after Brewster misses costly penalty
And now the boss how thrown his weight behind Brewster, by taking the blame – if there even is any – for the finish, but explains why it’s “no problem.”
“This will not harm Rhian. If anyone is to blame, it is me. But I wanted him in the position because he is a real finisher and confident. Today, not. That happens in football and life,” Klopp is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst.
“I rarely share my football experiences with the boys because it was so long ago. He missed a penalty, we had a few words, it is all fine. No need to apologise, that is football. No problem.”
It’s great to hear the boss shielding the youngster from an criticism, but it’s honestly not a surprise as Klopp’s man management is second to none.
Brewster simply has much bigger days ahead, and Liverpool’s shortcomings against Arsenal can’t be pinpointed to a spot-kick taken by a 20-year-old under enormous pressure.
If the Reds were able to have Trent Alexander-Arnold and captain Jordan Henderson on the pitch, it could have been different, but we lost and we move on.