The reaction to Klopp’s touchline fury is completely missing the mark – opinion

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Klopp, Liverpool
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 16: Juergen Klopp, Manager of Liverpool shouts at linesman Gary Beswick during the Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City at Anfield on October 16, 2022 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Jurgen Klopp admitted at the first-given opportunity that his actions directed at the officiating team during Liverpool’s tie with Manchester City was wrong.

The German looks set to be available for the upcoming meeting with West Ham United despite his sending-off at Anfield – a decision that has apparently baffled former Premier League referee Peter Walton who called for more serious punishment in his latest piece with The Times.

We can understand the position taken by the 63-year-old given his history, though, while there is more than a grain of truth in his latest claims, the logic is flawed.

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The quality of officials and their decision-making should be challenged and – now, this bit is absolutely critical – addressed with genuine action to improve the landscape.

We’ve seen little evidence of any such determination to raise the standard in the English top-flight with inconsistency continuing to reign gameweek after gameweek.

Silva, Salah, Lovren
Mo Salah was repeatedly targeted during the encounter with Manchester City and seemed to receive little protection from officials

We have to make this absolutely clear: players shouldn’t be ganging up on referees and managers shouldn’t likewise be applying pressure. That should be a reality from grassroots football up.

Obviously, respect for officials is at an all-time low. Whilst we take the time to acknowledge the role played by other professionals involved in the game, however, we need to also address a root cause in the performances from officials on the turf and at Stockley Park.

If we’re allowed to question how managers behave on the touchline why shouldn’t we be allowed to direct the same towards those who can also play a part in influencing results on the pitch?

Why aren’t more questions asked of Anthony Taylor who had no control of arguably the biggest game on the calendar – a fact both Klopp and Pep Guardiola were in agreement on?

Walton’s absolutely right to call for greater protection for his former colleagues but that shouldn’t come at the price of a climate of indifference as far as the quality of officiating is concerned.

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4 Comments

  1. Spot on! It is by far time to have a serious look at the refs and their assistents. Time after time they miss completely, as did Taylor and the linesmen in this match. Not once, not twice, but over and over again. In fact Taylor and his assistents was horrible, and saved by VAR also when city “scored”. Anyone with a spine would understand Klopps frustration, and he has no reason to say sorry for the outburst.

  2. Absolutely spot on.

    If you watched Ref Watch on Sky you will never see a more blatant example of a**e protection than that of Dermot Gallagher on this weekends matches – not just ours.

    THe standard of refereeing in this country is appalling – both on the field and at Stockley Park.

    For really big matches we need to bring in officials from overseas. How can Taylor be put under the pressure of Sundays game when he lives in the Manchester area. If he and Oliver are our best referees the game needs help.

  3. It would be nice if the officials were “PROPERLY” punished. English refereeing as a whole (and that includes those at Stockley Park), is dreadful. the only consistent thing about English ref’s is that they are INCONSISTENT.

  4. Very poor from the referee and his officials at Anfield on Sunday klopp went over the top but the foul on salah was right infront of the linesman and silva was at it all match trying to get a reaction out the liverpool players and going into the back of salah a number of times nothing has been said about pep shouting and trying to stop the referee from consulting the monitor after man City thought they had scored

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