Jurgen Klopp explained he was ‘sick’ of teams targeting Liverpool striker Sadio Mane
Jurgen Klopp has explained his touchline bust-up with Mikel Arteta, claiming he is “sick” of the treatment of Sadio Mane.
Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-0 at Anfield on Saturday night at Anfield, but the game was relatively quiet before both Klopp and Arteta were booked after an incident involving Mane and Takehiro Tomiyasu.
After both players jumped for the ball, Klopp reacted angrily to Arteta’s furious demands for action against the Liverpool star and the flare-up seemed to galvanise the home support before the Reds ran out comfortable winners.
Explaining the clash, Klopp said he saw no foul from either player and referenced Atletico Madrid’s attempts to get Mane sent off in a Champions League defeat in Spain in 2020.
“Actually it was not really a big deal but I have told all the other [media] so I have to tell you as well,” Klopp told reporters in his post-match press conference.
“The situation is that it was a completely clean situation, nothing happened.
“Two players jumped in the air, no-one touched each other like a foul and the bench for Arsenal is going for whatever.
“So I just asked ‘what do you want for that?’
“There was no contact and it looks like everyone wants a yellow card [for Mane] and for me I am really sick of these situations where everyone tries to go for Sadio in these moments.
“He is a physical player, obviously, but he doesn’t do harsh fouls.
“You might remember last year against Atletico Madrid, he was taken completely out of the game and he never did anything.
“He got a yellow card and then the ref was like this…against Atletico Madrid, we had to take him off (in 2020) and it’s just that was the situation.”
On suggestions that the clash with Arteta seemed to fire up the home crowd, Klopp added: “It was not the plan but if helped it was OK, but it won’t happen all the time.
“It doesn’t happen very often any more that I have arguments on the sideline.
“It was not the most controlled game but not the most exciting so maybe the crowd needed some help and it pushed the team again – but it won’t happen all the time.”
Goals from Mane, Diogo Jota, Mohamed Salah and Takumi Minamino were enough to move the Reds back to second in the Premier League.
