I don't know why Jurgen Klopp keeps having a swing, admits Gareth Southgate.
Southgate responds to Klopp criticism
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England manager Gareth Southgate admitted that he is puzzled by Jurgen Klopp's comments regarding team selection which aims to draw conflict between the pair. The Liverpool manager had hit out against Southgate over the use of Trent-Alexander Arnold in midfield and several other team decisions.
Gareth Southgate was appointed as temporary manager of the senior England team in September 2016 after Sam Allardyce resigned due to the infamous 2016 English Football scandal. Southgate earned some pretty impressive results during the qualifying for the 2018 World Cup which forced the Football Association to hire him permanently on a four-year contract. The Englishman took the Three Lions to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup as they bowed out of the competition due to a defeat against Croatia.
Southgate then built on the established foundation by taking his team all the way to the final in UEFA Euro 2020 where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Italy in the finals. The 51-year-old has been lauded for improving the standards of the Three Lions as well as fostering a sense of team spirit amongst a host of personalities. Klopp has repeatedly taken aim at the Englishman for various reasons and looks like he has a bone to pick with Southgate. But Southgate has revealed that he holds no grudges and there is no conflict between the pair.
“I don’t quite know why he keeps having a swing, you’d have to ask him. 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. Do I form bonds with club managers? 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,” Southgate told reporters in a press conference.
“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,” he added.
