Jurgen Klopp, frustrated by dry pitch, mocks West Brom and its impending relegation
Jurgen Klopp was not a happy man after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at West Brom on Saturday. Not a happy man at all. He wasn’t even in a mood to talk about Danny Ings’ first Premier League goal in 930 days, or Mo Salah’s record-tying tally, or the upcoming Champions League semifinal against Roma.
All he could think or talk about, instead, was the condition of West Brom’s pitch – specifically, the dryness of the Hawthorns surface.
And Klopp was so irked by it that he couldn’t help but mock West Brom in a postgame TV interview. “If, like West Brom, the ball is constantly in the air, then you don’t need a wet pitch,” he said to set up the zinger. “And they can play football with a dry pitch in the Championship.”
Burn.
The context, of course, is that West Brom is, barring a miracle, bound for relegation to the second-tier Championship. Long chastised for its route-one, defensive style, the lack of attacking quality finally condemned it in 2017-18.
And Klopp, to be fair, has a point about the pitch. It was noticeably dry. Passes didn’t skim smoothly across it, like they do on most Premier League fields.
Was it an unnecessary dig at a club that’s already suffered enough heartache? Yeah, probably. But given all the mismanagement at West Brom this year, highlighted by the sacking of Tony Pulis in the fall, the club can’t really have any complaints.
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Henry Bushnell covers global soccer, and occasionally other ball games, for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.
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