After Jurgen Klopp ‘stormed out’ of an interview with Danish broadcaster Viaplay on Sunday, reporter Niels Christian Frederiksen has cleared things up.
Klopp sparked headlines on Sunday evening as it emerged that he had left his post-match interview with Viaplay, following the 4-3 loss at Man United, rather abruptly.
Asked why Liverpool appeared to lack intensity despite dominating much of the game, the manager took exception, telling Frederiksen: “It’s a bit of a stupid question.”
“Come on! You are obviously not in a great shape and I have no nerves for you,” Klopp said as he walked off.
“What’s wrong with you? What did you want now?”
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It was a moment the manager will no doubt regret, with the Telegraph, the Mirror and the Mail among the many publications to lead with headlines of ‘Klopp storms out’.
But Frederiksen has explained the situation in an interview with Danish publication Tipsbladet, insisting that “Klopp is not like that.”
“I was very surprised by it, and those standing around were scared, and they were almost pressed against the wall like: ‘Wow, what the hell just happened here?’,” he admitted.
“It continued after what you saw on TV. He continued down the hall yelling and screaming at me. I also went after him because I thought it was something strange.
“I was very surprised, while there were some who looked very shocked and they asked: ‘Are you OK?’. And god damn am I OK!”
Suggestions that Klopp had ridiculed Frederiksen for his weight with his comment that “you are obviously not in a great shape” were, predictably, a case of misunderstanding.
“No, that’s not what he meant at all. First of all, I’m not overweight, and if I was, he would never, ever say that. Klopp is not like that,” the reporter said.
“It wasn’t meant that way at all. He’s not disgusting at all. He thought I was out of shape to ask questions.”
There was no ill feeling from Frederiksen, who has “interviewed Jurgen many times” going back to his time in charge of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
“We don’t have a bad relationship at all,” he continued.
“I know that when you are one of the world’s best coaches, and you have been for years, it will not happen if you are not the world’s worst loser.
“The premise of being a good coach is that you don’t like losing and that you are a winner.”
Frederiksen added: “It has been a theme for them that they have had many injuries and many matches that he has complained about.
“Then he got a question about why they didn’t have intensity in the game, and then he snapped.
“That’s fair enough. I have absolutely no problems with that.”
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