Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has taken aim at Jurgen Klopp once again, claiming he is far better at mind games than he makes out.
Clattenburg was in the headlines earlier this week after comments made in the Daily Mail regarding Manchester United and the penalties they get given, also having a dig at Klopp.
The Liverpool boss responded to his remarks in his pre-United press conference on Friday, saying, “it always says much more about them than it could ever say about me.”
Now, Clattenburg has written a new article for the Mail, in which he states that he and Klopp have previous when it comes to mind games, and that the Liverpool boss is more savvy than he claims:
Jurgen Klopp says he ‘does not have the skills for mind games’, after he responded on Friday to my column from Thursday’s Sportsmail.
So that will be the same Klopp who stands and stares at the opposition warming up before the game?!
He knows what he’s doing, he’s incredibly smart, it’s why he’s one of the best managers we’ve had in the Premier League.
Klopp once tried to stare me out before a match. That’s fine, he has a presence and an aura that he uses for the benefit of his team.
Read Liverpool Verdict
Klopp is a misunderstood character in many ways, with other individuals desperate to make him seem more complex than he actually is.
The German isn’t someone who will happily get drawn into a war of words with another manager, and the pre-match ritual of watching opponents warm-up simply is a way of understanding their tactical plan.
Sadly, the likes of Clattenburg and others know that Klopp creates column inches, so they will never stop looking to touch a nerve.
