Klopp Reveals Years Long “Grudge” Against James Maddison and Brendan Rodgers

Klopp has never forgotten.

A football game is a game of precision, and sometimes that means that small moments have big consequences. We all have our own butterfly effect football stories. If he had just passed there. If she had been a bit faster here.

If Steven Gerrard doesn’t trip. If Sadio Mané’s shot managed the extra inch it needed to score against Manchester City.

Turns out fans aren’t the only ones who hold those grudges. In an interview with Redmen TV, Jürgen Klopp talked about his butterfly effect moment. It happened on the penultimate matchweek of the 2018-19 season, and Liverpool weren’t even involved.

This was the season when Liverpool managed a ridiculous 97 points yet somehow still lost the title to Manchester City, who ended the season with 98. Three of those crucial points came from a 1-0 victory against Leicester City. Vincent Kompany scored the only goal of the game and secured another league victory for his team.

To hear Klopp describe it: “The moment when Vincent Kompany touched the ball there, I am really happy I didn’t get a stroke in that moment as that’s how it must feel. I remember exactly how I was lying on the sofa watching and thinking ‘Maddison block him, close him down’. Since then I don’t like Maddison. I was angry with Brendan [Rodgers] that day because he should have taken him off, he was tired. Leicester played really good first half, after that they should have scored. It’s just a personal thing, I have no problem with him, but when I see him it’s... and now I saw him again last weekend.”

He’s joking, obviously. But the best jokes always contain a kernel of truth.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com