Alan Shearer calls Jurgen Klopp’s complaints after Liverpool’s win over Burnley ‘Nonsense’, stating the game has improved this season.
Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley made headlines after Jurgen Klopp decided to criticise some of the new rules implemented by the Premier League to ensure free-flowing football. The German suggested these new methods implemented needs further discussion and was unhappy at some of the challenges his players faced.
Klopp hit out challenges from Burnley stars Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes on his central defenders Joel Matip and Virgil Van Dijk, which he deemed dangerous. He relayed caution as the defensive pair had only returned from long-term injuries suggesting ‘watch wrestling if you like that kind of thing’.
Furthermore, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer agreed on Klopp’s comments about extra protection for players from officials and supported his adversary. United had their moment of controversy when Jack Stephens robbed Bruno Fernandes off the ball from behind, which eventually led to the Saints’ opener.
While there are some merits to Klopp’s complaints, many experts have come to the defence of the officials and Premier League rules. One such pundit is former Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, who branded Klopp’ comments as ‘Nonsense’ in his column on The Athletic.
Rugby? Wrestling? No… Ole, Jurgen & other managers are deflecting & insinuating, prodding & testing everywhere as they search for marginal gains.
The Premier League is back and so is our great English pantomime.
My column for @TheAthleticUKhttps://t.co/R8pdp3tiGA
— Alan Shearer (@alanshearer) August 24, 2021
Shearer said, “The Premier League is back, fans are back, and so, too, is our great English pantomime, complete with managers deflecting and insinuating, prodding and testing everywhere as they search for marginal gains. That explains the narrative of last weekend because, so far, the football has been good and free-flowing and quick. There has been no thuggery that I’ve seen, no horrific tackles, no “rugby”.
“The beauty of the Premier League is that success takes many forms, and so does football itself. For Liverpool and Manchester United, success might be winning the trophy, but for Burnley or Norwich City, say, it’s more about earning yourself another season there. To do either, you will be posed different problems to solve. How do you combat the fluid brilliance of Manchester City? And how do you counter Burnley’s toughness, Leeds United’s energy and so on?”
To sum it up, Shearer called Klopp’s suggestions ‘Nonsense’ and further explained his assessment of the situation, taking Burnley’s transfer budget as a pre-cursor to his argument. Shearer continued, “To date, Sean Dyche has a net spend of about £4 million this summer. City, the runaway Champions, forked out £100 million on Jack Grealish. Burnley cannot take on the big boys at their own game.
“We have to protect a form of physicality. You can’t have football without contact. There are going to be fouls, accidents are going to happen, and you will get injuries, unfortunately, but it’s elite sport level played at lightning speed, and these are the trade-offs you make.”
Later Shearer suggested that big clubs somewhat apply similar tactics in certain situations as he explained, “What do City often do when they concede possession or the opposition are on the break? What does Liverpool do in similar circumstances? They commit fouls, and it’s a deliberate tactic.”
