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05th Feb 2017

Dietmar Hamann tells it like it is regarding Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool

"I like Klopp, but..."

SportsJOE

Liverpool need to be careful with Jurgen Klopp, according to Dietmar Hamann.

The Reds have hit a real dip in form of late, culminating in Saturday’s 2-0 loss at Hull City.

It has become a major concern for fans, particularly when you mention that ‘h’ word. It wasn’t that long ago when they were in title contention and doing well in Europe, but now there is a legitimate chance that they might not even finish in the top four.

So the decision to hand a Klopp a new six-year deal, when the club isn’t exactly where most fans would like it to be has received some criticism.  In an interview with the Sunday Times, club legend Dietmar Hamann called this decision “absolute madness”.

“I like Klopp, but you know they lost two finals, so I’d be careful. I wouldn’t have given him a six-year contract. I think that’s absolute madness. He’s got six years left now. They lost to Southampton (in the League Cup semi-final) so that’s another year gone (without a trophy). They may not finish top four.”

Hamann also rolled out the tried and trusted ‘children vs adults’ metaphor in relation to their recent 1-1 draw with league leaders Chelsea. You can probably guess which side he saw as the younger, less mature one.

“When I watched them the other day against Chelsea, to me it looked like a team with purpose, a bunch of men – against boys who like to play. Chelsea were the grown-up team. This is where Liverpool need to improve. They need some game intelligence, some nous, and if they don’t develop that they need to bring someone in.”