Painted as the villain, Jurgen Klopp now appears to have been the peacemaker.
The former Borussia Dortmund boss appears to be ruffling the feathers of the old-school English football brigade.
A little over a week after he almost came to blows with West Brom gaffer Tony Pulis, Klopp exchanged words with Sam Allardyce.
Klopp and Allardyce traded some touchline barbs but shook hands at the end of Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Sunderland.
Post-match, however, Allardyce took offence to Klopp’s claims Sunderland player Jermaine Lens should have been red-carded for a foul on Mamadou Sakho.
If Klopp felt that challenge was a sending off offence, reasoned Allardyce, then he was a ‘soft German’.
Allardyce added, “There was some foul and abusive language towards my staff that I didn’t like.”
Reports from The Times, today, suggest Klopp was trying to diffuse tension on the sideline. After one of the Liverpool coaching staff was reported as shouting at Allardyce to ‘f***ing sit down’, Klopp stepped in and declared:
“Calm down. It’s Christmas!”
The Reds boss was asked about Allardyce’s ‘soft’ remarks at his pre-match conference ahead of his side’s encounter with West Ham.
Klopp said, “It’s absolutely not a problem… A lot of people have said worse about me.
“[He said] soft German? Yeah I think it is a first time for that.”
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