Jurgen Klopp has hit out at the two challenges which caused injury to both Thiago and Virgil van Dijk, slamming the processes which has seen only Liverpool punished.
It has been three days since Virgil van Dijk was recklessly challenged by Jordan Pickford and two since scans confirmed that he tore his ACL – all from a tackle which has seen only the Dutchman pay the price.
No retrospective action was taken on the Everton goalkeeper and while Klopp was quick to concede that injuries happen, it is usually when two players challenge for the ball, which was not the case at Goodison Park.
The lack of protection and feeling the brunt of the consequences has caused anger and frustration to simmer throughout the club, with Klopp echoing the devastation previously voiced by Gini Wijnaldum
The boss did not hold back in his assessment of the situation as Liverpool have now been left without one of their key pillars, while Thiago also felt the brunt and has once again been forced to the sidelines.
“It should not have happened in a football game, not the first time and not the last time but it’s similar to my players,” Klopp explained to reporters.
“Both challenges were difficult to accept let me say it like this. We cannot change it, all we can do is change these kinds of things [VAR, referee protection]. It’s hard for us, he’s our boy.
“Nothing to do with his quality, yes he’s a world-class player but we miss Ox as well. Injuries happen in football, very often in challenges. Both challenging for the ball, but it was not the case in these two cases and it makes it different and so difficult to take.
“In the last four years, we were the leader of the fair play table and we don’t get anything for that, it’s most often where people make a joke of it.
“It means you can play football without these kinds of challenges. In this game, a few things came together.
“The referee doesn’t see it, this case Michael Oliver, who is an excellent referee usually but why he didn’t see it I don’t understand because he had the best view.
“And then the VAR forgets the rules. As a human being, it’s not that I want to punish the Everton players but it’s something we all agreed on that if you do something wrong you have to deal with the consequences.
“In this moment, it’s only one person who has to deal with them, [actually] two, Virgil van Dijk and Thiago Alcantara.
“All the rest is going on just like this and that’s difficult,” he continued. “I wouldn’t have spoken about it but you keep asking me and everyone will judge us because we don’t feel the right way about it.
“But we did nothing wrong in the game and I don’t think we’ve done anything since then but our players are the only ones suffering and that doesn’t feel right, and it’s not easy to deal with these kinds of things.
“We all accept injuries can happen, but it should be in a normal challenge.”
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