MARC CLATTENBURG: Stop being a Jurgen hypocrite, your boys dive too! Klopp’s bid to pressure referees with Manchester United jibe straight out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s playbook – Liverpool boss must be growing anxious
- Jurgen Klopp has been vocal in his belief that Manchester United will receive more penalties
- It was mind games – a clear attempt to try to impress referee Paul Tierney
- Let us be clear – there is no conspiracy between conciliators and officials
- It is legitimate to clarify how easily United players make a gown in the box
Jurgen Klopp must be growing anxious, as his comments last week about Manchester United and penalties were just out of Sir Alex Ferguson ‘s playbook.
It was mind-blowing games – an attempt to impress referee Paul Tierney and get on his head ahead of a big game between Liverpool and United this coming Sunday.
Klopp was right when he said that United have earned more penalties in two years than Liverpool in his five and a half at Anfield. He was quick, as he could not get his ideas into trouble with the authorities.
Jurgen Klopp must grow anxious about Manchester United following his comments last week
But let’s be clear: there is no conspiracy from referees and officials. Was Klopp insinuating? Or was he suggesting that United have players who are encouraged to dive?
If that was his previous intention, I do not have time for that. That is simply not true.
But if it clarified how easily some United players go down in the penalty area then, yes, I believe he was making a valid point. Even if it does not avoid similar suspicions about some of its stars.
I have kept a close eye on United this season and analyzed each of their 11 penalty awards.
There are as many as five where I think a United communicator was invited or even started.
The players involved are Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Paul Pogba and Mason Greenwood.
They are, in many ways, wise.
Once there has been communication and the penalty has been imposed, VAR will rarely reverse the decision.
Sadio Mane was brought down under challenge from Kyle Walker-Peters within the area
Klopp lamented how many penalties Manchester United receive compared to Liverpool
VERDICT MARK CLATTENBURG ON THREE UNITED PENALTIES
Paul Pogba v Aston Villa, 1 January
There was some communication from Douglas Luiz from Villa but Pogba fell on his own, causing the fall. I would have played on. I was very surprised that VAR did not recommend a park side review
Although there was some communication from Douglas Luiz, Paul Pogba himself fell here
Marcus Rashford v Newcastle, 17 October
Rashford are expecting communications from Jamal Lewis and are already on the run when the Newcastle defender takes his leg. Rashford should have been reserved to deceive the referee
Marcus Rashford should be retained to deceive the referee at Newcastle
Mason Greenwood v RB Leipzig, 8 December
Greenwood gets his foot across the defender while defending the ball. The players go from shoulder to shoulder and Greenwood goes down. As for communication, I would not have warned Greenwood to dive – but it’s not a punishment.
Mason Greenwood did not dive against RB Leipzig, but it was no longer a penalty.
Note, too, that more players are declining in what referees call the ‘dead zone’ in the penalty area, a situation where they have little chance of scoring. Rashford made it against Newcastle while making his way out of the area and took the opportunity to go to ground under a loose leg from Jamal Lewis.
But this is where Klopp should be wary, as that is exactly what Sadio Mane did when he went down too easily under Kyle Walker-Peters ‘challenge during Monday’ s 1-0 loss at Southampton.
The ball was running out of play and, in a different situation with a score chance, I believe Mane would have ridden the challenge.
So there were a few things to take away from Klopp’s comments after that game. First of all, it sounds like a hypocrite if it suggests that United players are looking to earn penalties. The likes of Mo Salah and Mane are equally capable of using similar tactics.
The likes of Mohamed Salah (right) are just as capable of subterranean tactics for earning penalties
It’s clearly becoming worrying, though, because it wasn’t from Fergie that we saw such a strong effort to impress a referee ahead of a big game. Klopp was not doing last season when Liverpool were winning every week.
He doesn’t like to lose, he never did. It becomes precious. But it is wrong to say that there is an aura around United that sees them getting favorable decisions. It used to be when Fergie was there, but that has eased a lot since he left.
I am the only referee to give three penalties to the opponents at Old Trafford, and that was for Liverpool, of all the teams, in 2014.
But David Moyes was the manager – I’m not sure that would have happened when Fergie was there!
