Mamadou Sakho shocked fans at 3am on Saturday morning with a bizarre Snapchat message, telling fans:
I accept my situation but I can’t accept the lie. The fans deserve to know the truth. Now it’s three weeks since I am fit to play games. I finish all my rehabilitation work. They don’t want me to play also with second team lol! Why, I don’t know.
Now Jurgen Klopp has reacted to the claims, saying:
I was confronted this morning with the news that maybe it was something I should know about. But on a match day I am in completely the wrong kind of mood for something like this. I know something was on the thing that I don’t use but it is not the right moment to speak about it. It makes sense to think about it and then give the right answer. It is not positive, I would say. I will address the situation when I think it is the right moment.
It is clear that Sakho may have burnt the last of his bridges at Anfield after being sent home from the club’s US tour and missed the end of last season after accusations of doping. The Frenchman had become a cult hero and was impressive under Klopp with renewed confidence, but it seems that off the field matters could now put an end to his time in Liverpool.
However, Klopp had much more praise to give to his Brazilian attacker Phillipe Coutinho after his superb finish added to the tally in yesterday’s 5-1 victory over Hull City. Klopp explained:
I’d like to take the credit for his shooting ability, but I’m not responsible for this. It’s very good. All his goals he scored were because we created the spaces, not to force to shoot like this. In this moment it was the perfect finish — the absolutely perfect finish for the situation.
It was part of an impressive performance for the Reds, with Klopp delighted by their attacking display as he told the press:
We played with all offensive players, today something like eight. We played freely and patient football – a lot of movements, a lot of good passing patterns which I saw. I was really pleased with all this.
It shows the German’s progress as he seeks to rebuild his Dortmund style of football at Anfield. Liverpool were imperious in victory over the Tigers and are increasingly seeming like title contenders after a superb start to the season.
However, Klopp’s Anfield future could be in doubt, if the Mirror is to be believed as Bayern Munich target the 49-year-old as their next boss when Carlo Ancelotti’s deal expires in 2019. Having signed a six-year deal in the summer, Klopp’s current deal extends far beyond that, but the Reds may have a fight on their hands to retain their boss.
Klopp has immediately become a fan favourite on Merseyside and is unlikely to want to leave his project, having shown great loyalty to his clubs in the past, although Bayern are likely to represent a real temptation for the German. Given his claims that he is “loving life” in England, it may not be a major concern for the Reds, but they will want to ensure that he remains happy if performances continue at their current level, with a title challenge not seeming unrealistic.
Featured Image: All rights reserved by Craig Ballantyne.