"He'll be there to support his rivals" - Klopp trolled as old comments on booking tickets to Istanbul resurface after Liverpool's UCL elimination
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been subjected to mockery after the Reds’ Champions League elimination on Wednesday night (15 March). The Twitterati have shared Klopp’s old comments where he asked fans to book tickets to the 2022-23 Champions League final in Istanbul.
Jürgen Klopp after losing the Champions League final last year:
“Where's the final next year? Istanbul? Book the hotel.”
😬 https://t.co/qZTaJ1UgDG
Klopp appeared to be in a defiant mood after losing the 2021-22 Champions League final to Real Madrid in Paris in May. The German manager declared that the Reds will return to the grandest stage once again in the 2022-23 season. He said (via GOAL):
"I have a strong feeling we'll come again. The boys are really competitive. It's an outstanding group together. We will have an outstanding group next season.
"Where's it next season? Istanbul? Book the hotel."
Unfortunately, for Klopp and Co., things have not panned out that way. They succumbed to a 5-2 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League Round-of-16 tie in February before losing the return leg 1-0. Suffering a 6-2 aggregate defeat, the Anfield outfit have been eliminated from the competition, falling miserably short of expectations.
Following Liverpool’s elimination, Twitter trolls have rained down hard on Klopp, poking fun at him for his outlandish comments after last year’s defeat. Here’s what they had to say:
@brfootball Can I get a refund of my ticket??
@brfootball Where is the conference league final next season?
@brfootball Can someone tell him that it's non-refundable. 😂😂😂😂
@brfootball Book the hotel but not for us!
@brfootball Humility is a virtue l.
@brfootball He will be there to support his rivals https://t.co/RiqSBAWO8l
Jamie Carragher urges Liverpool to buy a right-back to “help” Trent Alexander-Arnold
Real Madrid left-winger Vinicius Junior was too hot to handle for Trent Alexander-Arnold on Wednesday night (15 Match). The Brazilian used his pace and trickery to get past the Englishman time and time again, regularly creating openings for teammates (four chances). Vinicius Junior also set up Karim Benzema for the winning goal in the 78th minute after successfully brushing Alexander-Arnold aside.
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher was worried after seeing Alexander-Arnold’s struggles and advised his former club to bring in a competent backup to keep the Englishman on his toes.
“It's very, very worrying. Not just for Liverpool as a team, but for him. And what I mean by that is, this can't continue, what's happened this season and the amount of times he's been lacking defensively,” Carragher told CBS Sports.
“The problem they've got in that position is, they've never had real competition for Trent Alexander-Arnold. And one of the reasons for that is because he's been so good.”
He added:
“He's won everything, he's been fantastic and he's done everything I could ever dream of. I'm so proud of him, a local lad coming through the ranks. But he needs help.”
Burdened with defensive responsibilities, Alexander-Arnold has struggled to make much of an offensive impact this season. The Liverpool man has only scored thrice and claimed three assists in 36 games across competitions.