http://www.football365.com/news/f365-says-is-jurgen-klopp-liverpool-not-in-his-element-now Intresting piece
Agreed, it's a very good read and I think it emphasises the lack of panic that Klopp is likely going through right now.
To be honest I feel like he knows what he is doing. We will just play Can Wjini and Hendo in mid with Lallana Milner and Grujic able to drop in when needed. Even Firmino can play the advanced of the three role.
If we play with Can, Wjini and Hendo for the rest of the season we may as well give up on topn4/trophy now. No creativity there at all. You'd have to fit in Lallana there for a start anyway.
Klopp on why #lfc sold Coutinho now: "Because there was no other option. We had a contract but would have been difficult to keep him for 2nd half of season. Could he have helped us still? 100% clear no chance. Clear he wasn't ready to do that anymore."
That to me is quite clear, the guy was prepared to strike/stay "injured" if he didn't get his way. 100% clear that he wasn't prepared to help us any more, no other option but to sell him.
Players huff and puff a bit when they don't get their way, but do you really believe that Coutinho would have gone on strike for the rest of the season if he didn't get out of LFC - while his team mates continued to play CL, FA Cup and compete for 4th, while one of his best mates Firmino togs out for us every week, with a WC only a few months away and match fitness being important to Coutinho, knowing the character in question who has played for us for the last few years, seriously ? .. There's no way in hell I believe he would, two weeks after the transfer window had closed, he'd be back competing for his place in the team imho.
I am reading Klopp's quotes and I don't think short of legal action he could be any clearer. "No other option" but to sell him. "100% clear" Coutinho couldn't help us in the second half of the season. "He wasn't ready to do that anymore."
I'm absolutely shocked by this, completely and utterly shocked I have to say Garrett and have argued Coutinho's case with people over the past week or two but the facts are there in black and white in what Klopp has said. He didn't believe that Coutinho was going to play for us anymore, everything has changed with that statement from Klopp and I'm seeing the player in a completely different light now I have to say. My apologies to anyone that I openly questioned on their belief that Coutinho had feigned his injuries and was willing to enlist the dark arts to force his move.
Be shocked all you want Ed, I stand over what I've said ... I don't believe that Coutinho would have refused to play for us for the remainder of the season. If Klopp does believe that, then fair enough he was there and made the call based on his interaction with the player etc, but...... Klopp has lost his best player, what do you expect him to say, eh the owners and myself made the wrong decision and sold him because we wanted the big cheque ?
Apology accepted He can still stick his farewell letter up his arse too. Once he started blaming things like Gerrard and Suarez not being allowed to leave and falling out with Klopp then you couldn't put anything past him. In fairness to Klopp he'll always back his players to the tilt. I mean he could've told or implied while he was here what he was at but he didn't. Its why you can't always believe 100% what a manager says to be the truth. Sometimes it is just best to bend the truth.
Even if he "decided" come Feb that he would play for us again it would purely be for a selfish reason (world cup) he basically took himself out of the team the second the window opened and I would be of the thought he done the same in August when all this started. Fair play to klopp why should he take flack for selling him when the player carried on the way he did what choice had he?
Your argument was sound, we're all just speculating until someone in the know makes a statement one way or the other.
There is the point though that if indeed he hadnt gotten his move and did in fact sulk till two weeks after the window closed before deciding to reinvolve himself (all hypothetical of course) - thats 8 games he's "injured" for (leaving 13 including Porto and WBA) and then a few games to get up to speed. Providing he bothers getting anywhere over 70% effort. Klopp and FSG have to wonder if a) Coutinho will adversely effect the squad not wanting to be there, and b) even if reintegrated, will he give it 100% and finally c) is it worth holding on to him with that in the background for maybe another 10 games - or take the 140+ million on offer. He wanted out, got out - goodbye and thanks for the memories. I've been supporting Liverpool for over 40 years and saw players come and go that we the fans thought the world would collapse without. I remember Keegan leaving and was devestated, and very angry that Liverpool could go and sell my favorite player and replace him with a no name called Kenny Dalglish. Kev went on to win European footballer of the year after leaving - we replaced him with a God. We sold Torres - the internet imploded, we replaced him with some guy most famous for a handball in the world cup who scored a few goals in Holland (yes I'm deliberately ignoring the other guy) - who went on to give us almost orgasmic football in a couple of seasons. Phil's gone to pastures new and while I support any player under the Liverbird crest - I just dont get attached. Football doesnt work that way any more - if indeed it ever did
I think that is a bit disingenuous Garrett, Klopp has made a very clear statement which Countinho can come out and discredit if he wants. We might as well believe nothing anyone says if it doesn't suit our narrative if that is the case. Klopp didn't have to say this, we all wondered why now and not in the summer, I think this joins the dots that a lot of people thought was the case.
I have not heard the press conference yet. However to me the LFC website with its very short statement told me an awful lot last Saturday night, so nothing of what I am reading above has surprised me.
Flip that coin over onto the other side and it means we have to believe everything that we are told, doesn't it ? Anyway, this isn't about believing someone so much as whether or not Klopp called the situatioon correctly, per my post above (#2472)