Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp has revealed what he said to Xherdan Shaqiri on the pitch after last night's 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea.
Liverpool took the lead in the game through a second half strike from Daniel Sturridge, but late goals from Emerson and Eden Hazard gave Maurizio Sarri's side the win.
After the game, a video was doing the rounds on social media of Klopp berating Shaqiri after the full-time whistle.
Klopp was clearly not happy with Shaqiri after last Liverpool's defeat to Chelsea 😳 pic.twitter.com/Q8TE7iXKQS
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 27, 2018
He clearly was upset about something.
Many were confused by the footage, as the Swiss winger had arguably been Liverpool's best performer on the night. It led to a lot of speculation as to what exactly the German manager may have taken issue with.
Klopp has now attempted to put the subject to bed. He claims that he was simply unhappy with the option his player took during a free-kick late in the game.
I spoke about a free-kick, the last one.
We wanted to have Mo (Salah) a bit wider, so we had passed the ball to Mo, the whole bunch of players was in one direction - where we shot the ball, actually.
But if we can send Mo into a one-on-one situation in the last situation of the game, it would have been not too bad. What I said was about the free-kick, nothing else.
With the team chasing a late equaliser, Shaqiri stepped up to take a free kick. However instead of playing in Salah, who found himself in a one-on-one situation on the wing, he lifted a high ball into the box. It was easily cleared by the Chelsea defence.
While the late passage of play could have made a difference, it was ultimately Liverpool's defensive frailties that let them down. The first choice back four and goalkeeper were all given the night off, and you could certainly tell.
Without the presence of Virgil van Dijk, the team lacked the solidity that had been present in the opening weeks of the season. Alberto Moreno also looked his usual erratic self on the left side of the defence. You would have to worry about the team's chances at success should Van Dijk or Andrew Robertson suffer a serious injury at some point during the season.
