In the Premier League on this day in 2016, Liverpool defeated Sunderland 2-0 after Jurgen Klopp incited the crowd at Anfield in front of Stevie Gerrard and FSG.
Gerrard and FSG witnessed Klopp’s rage
Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool has one of the best relationships with the home crowds of any manager. However, there have been a few occasions when the German has addressed the Anfield faithful.
On this day in 2016, as his squad fought to overcome the “most defensive side” he had ever seen, Klopp needed to exhort the home crowd to be heard.
After seeing star player Philippe Coutinho leave the field on a stretcher with what appeared to be an ankle injury in the second half, Divock Origi entered the game to do what Liverpool supporters have grown accustomed to seeing over the years: the Belgian came to the Reds’ rescue against Sunderland.
What Klopp had to say
When Klopp moved to Merseyside in October 2015, he quickly saw that the Anfield fans had grown restless. And they went irritated at what they had been experiencing for years.
According to The Independent’s match report, Anfield was quiet at 0-0 until Klopp lost his cool twice and yelled at the crowd to make more noise. James Milner and Divock Origi then scored two goals.
Klopp:
“You have to change from a doubter to a believer. We have to start together new.”
Indeed, Klopp has pointed out a number of issues at Liverpool. And he hasn’t shied away from challenging them, even if fans generally accepted them as positives. For example, the claim that the Anfield crowd is the loudest in the nation is only true occasionally.”
Some well-known figures might be there in the stands. According to the Guardian: “Steven Gerrard, who recently retired, John W. Henry, chairman of Liverpool, and a number of Jürgen Klopp’s invited German ex-schoolmates were among those present.
