“I don’t quite know why he keeps having a swing”
Gareth Southgate has questioned why Jurgen Klopp keeps ‘having a swing’ at him when speaking to the media.
Klopp was annoyed that the England manager overlooked Joe Gomez during last month’s international break, with Southgate favouring John Stones – who had not featured for Pep Guardiola’s side during the current campaign when selected – over the Reds defender.
In September, the Liverpool boss questioned Southgate’s central midfield experiment involving Trent Alexander-Arnold when the Three Lions faced Andorra, stating: “Why would you make the best right-back in the world a midfielder?”
The 54-year-old also appeared to be frustrated when Curtis Jones suffered a muscle problem while representing England under-21s in October, with Southgate fully aware of the comments that the German had been making.
“I don’t quite know why he keeps having a swing, you’d have to ask him,” said Southgate.
“I think we’ve always got on reasonably well. I’ve noticed quite a few articles and quite a few comments, which is always interesting to see.”
https://twitter.com/AnfieldWatch/status/1457117800460431362
The England boss also discussed the important of maintaining a ‘good relationship’ with clubs and their respective managers.
He added: “They come and go pretty quickly so it’s important to have a good relationship somewhere in the clubs, but maybe the managers [aren’t] the priority because it’s very transient.
“I don’t think that will be the case with the Liverpool manager, by the way. I’ve got no problem with Jurgen at all. You’d have to ask him why he’s made the comments he has.”
Liverpool duo Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson have both been named in the latest England squad ahead of this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Albania and San Marino.
Related links:
- Jurgen Klopp calls out Gareth Southgate for not including Joe Gomez in England squad
- Southgate claims Hudson-Odoi has ‘missed an opportunity’ by snubbing England Under-21
- Ian Wright criticises Gareth Southgate for England selection policy
