Jurgen Klopp and James Milner almost started a physical fight, reveals Ragnar Klavan
Former Liverpool centre-back Ragnar Klavan has revealed an altercation that took place between Jurgen Klopp and James Milner which could have gone all the way to trading blows. The Estonian defender spent two years at Anfield and recollected the incident which occurred during the 2016/17 season.
While Liverpool have an established defensive pair now, it took them a while to figure things out and along the way and the club went through quite a few center-backs. Ragnar Klavan was one of them and he spent two years at the Merseyside club, between 2016 and 2018, after arriving for a reported fee of £4.2 million. The Estonian would go on to make 53 appearances for the Reds during his time at the club while scoring two goals in all competitions.
However, things weren't always rosy and Klavan revealed a dispute that took place between Jurgen Klopp and James Milner in January 2017 which almost turned into a physical altercation between the pair. According to the former Red, tempers flared between the German manager and the former Manchester City player in the Liverpool dressing room and a physical showdown was on the cards before Milner backed down.
The pair were ready to trade blows following a 2-2 draw away at Sunderland in January 2017 which put a considerable wrench in the English club's title challenge in the season. The Merseyside club ended the 2016-17 campaign in fourth place as they finished 17 points behind the then champions Chelsea and Klavan admitted that the draw to the Black Cats hurt both the club and the German boss, with him under considerable pressure.
“The biggest pressure was around Christmas and at the beginning of January. One time, I don't remember who we played against. Maybe it was against Sunderland away. Klopp and James Milner almost started a physical fight. It was the period when there was Boxing Day in England and they almost started fighting but eventually Milner stepped back,” Klavan told the Betsafe Eesti Podcast.
"We saw from his eyes that Klopp would have gone all the way just to prove his point. It was the most stressful time for him as well. He was under a lot of pressure. It's not supposed to be easy, but if you don't deliver against a team like Sunderland, then you can forget about the places you had hoped for," he added.