LIverpool FC News: Reds legend defends Klopp amid reporter spat controversy

Jurgen Klopp struggled to keep his cool in a viral television interview following Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, taking exception to a question from a Danish journalist.

Niels Christian Frederiksen, a ViaPlay reporter, was the object of the Reds’ manager’s irritation in the immediate aftermath of the game which saw Liverpool knocked out after extra time. 

"Normally intensity is the name of your game, so how come it became so difficult in extra time?" he asked. 

Klopp’s response was pointed, and has generated plenty of controversy in the aftermath. 

“Bit of a dumb question I feel,” Klopp said. “If you never saw us, you can ask, how can they have more resources? We have played, I don’t know how many games recently. I don’t know how many games United have exactly played. That’s sport. I’m really disappointed with that question, but you thought, obviously, it’s good?”

Frederiksen followed up with: “So, too many games?”

To which Klopp replied: “Oh come on. You are obviously not in a great shape and I have no nerves for you. And the question … what is wrong with you? What did you want now?”

Frederiksen later said that he had “no problem” with Klopp, having interviewed him plenty of times throughout the years both in Germany and England. 

And a Liverpool legend has now backed Klopp after the row with Phil Thompson weighing in on the furore. 

'I think you would get prickly'

Thompson managed Liverpool for an interim spell back in the 2001/02 season when manager Gerard Houllier was recovering from heart surgery. 

He was a long-time assistant to the Frenchman but also represented Liverpool as a player 477 times, winning seven league titles and three European Cups. 

“You’re asking a question when surely if you watch football and know football and you see Liverpool’s fixture list that they’ve had then you’d understand what he was saying,” Thompson told talkSPORT. 

“The number of games, the number of injuries and how they’ve all piled up – to ask a question like that, I think you would get prickly. 

“I don’t know how they do it now. There’s so many interviews to do after the game and trying to think of something and give something – maybe it was just one interview too many for him. 

“I’ve been in that position myself for six months and it’s hard. You’re trying to do something different and give a little bit more back and managers, I feel for them. 

“Not just Jurgen Klopp but all managers because they’ve got to go to all of these interviews – they’ve got their own TV channels, they’ve got other TV channels and overseas rights – how they do it is beyond me.”